Rihanna Admits She Places 'Toxic Pressure' on Herself to Make an Album That Can Top 'Anti'

Inez & Vinoodh Rihanna and A$AP Rocky

Rihanna is not unaware of the anticipation surrounding her upcoming album, but following a project like 2016's Anti is easier said than done.

"In hindsight, it really is my most brilliant album," the "Diamonds" singer, 34, told British Vogue for its March cover issue. "I say that because in the moment, I didn't realize it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I've ever made."

She added, "But there's this pressure that I put on myself. That if it's not better than that then it is not even worth it."

Rihanna realized this wasn't the best approach — and doesn't plan on letting these feelings stand in the way for much longer.

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Inez & Vinoodh A$AP Rocky, their son and Rihanna

"It is toxic. It's not the right way to look at music because music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever. It doesn't have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good. It could just be a song that I like. It literally could be that simple," she said.

Rihanna added, "So I realized that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it's going to keep taking forever and maybe it'll never come out and no, I'm not down to that. So I want to play. And by play, I mean I have my ideas in my head, but I can't say them out loud yet."

"I want it to be this year," she said, adding that "it'd be ridiculous if it's not."

Inez & Vinoodh Rihanna and her son

Rihanna's cover story featured photos of herself, boyfriend A$AP Rocky and their 9-month-old son as she opened up about their undeniable bond.

"I'm just sitting on the sidelines when they're together," she said. "I'm literally the girl trying to get into the boys club, waiting for my turn. He is obsessed with his father. And I'm like: 'Didn't I give birth to you? What is going on?'"

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Earlier this month, ahead of her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, Rihanna opened up about her work-life balance.

"It's very different," she told Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis. "The balance is almost impossible because no matter how you look at it, work is always something that's going to rob you of time with your child. That's the currency now, that's where it goes. The magnitude of how much it weighs."

"When you make decisions of what you're going to say yes to, it has to be worth it," Rihanna explained, noting that her decision to perform at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show — where she revealed she was pregnant with her second child — is worth it to her "for sure."

Godofredo A Vasquez/AP/Shutterstock Rihanna

The singer-songwriter released her first song in nearly seven years titled "Lift Me Up" in October.

The song is featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, and serves as a tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman. It's currently in the running for Best Original Song at the 2023 Oscars.