Rihanna Clarifies She’s Not Retired & Is ‘Starting Over’ on ‘R9’

Rihanna isn’t done with music just yet. The Navy can exhale after Ri clarified that her recent “I’m Retired” shirt was just a fashion statement looking into the future and had nothing to do with the present day.

The nine-time Grammy w inner caught up with Extra on the red carpet for her Fenty Hair launch event in L.A. on Monday evening (June 10), where she explained she’s not hanging up her mic for good just yet.

“That was just me looking into the future. I’m not retired. I just like that dress. I got it as a gift and I loved it,” she said. “They didn’t read the second line, I’m not retired, I’m just retired from dressing up — it’s a lot of effort.”

Fans desperate for any sort of positive developments on the R9 front can take solace in the fact Ri revealed she’s starting over with the elusive album, and the beauty mogul’s “prepared” to get back in the studio with her newfound perspective.

“Yeah, I’m starting over,” RiRi declared to Entertainment Tonight. “But I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have, so I actually want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears, with my new perspective and then see what applies and what I’m still in love with.”

The 36-year-old continued: “I think that music, for me, is a new discovery. I’m rediscovering things. I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio. I’m gonna start — give me a second!”

Rihanna’s last album, Anti, turned eight years old in January after arriving in 2016. The project reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its second week on the chart, with 166,000 units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 4, 2016, according to Nielsen Music.

Watch Rihanna’s interview with ET touching on her much-debated shirt and upcoming album below.