Rihanna’s ‘R8’ Is Called ‘Anti’: Check Out The Album Artwork [Photos]

Fans have been waiting for the release of Rihanna’s R8. It’s probably the most highly anticipated album of the 2014-2015 music season. It looks like the singer’s new album is coming soon since new details about it have been released.

Rihanna surprised her fans when she held a special event for her upcoming R8 album. The artwork and title for her eighth studio album were revealed at a private viewing at the Mama Gallery in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, October 7. Rihanna stunned the crowd as she arrived in a sexy short black silk dress with a black silk jacquard robe. She accessorized her edgy look with a diamond choker, a long black necklace, gold hoop earrings, black sandals, and black lipstick. RiRi styled her reddish medium brown hair in four bantu knots on top of her head while wearing the rest of her hair down and wavy.

Now, let’s get to the details of Rihanna’s new album. It’s actually called Anti, not R8 as her fans have called it, according to several new reports. As you can see in the photos in this article, the painting behind Rihanna is the actual album artwork. It features a young Rihanna wearing a gold crown that’s covering her eyes. The album’s stunning artwork was designed by artist Roy Nachum, who was also there with the “FourFiveSeconds” singer. Rihanna couldn’t stop smiling when she talked about working with the sculptor and painter.

“I fell in love with [Nachum] because I felt like there was another spirit, there was another layer to the art. After we met, we talked about what I wanted visually, what would make me the happiest girl in the world.”

The cover also features a braille poem by Chloe Mitchell. The poet is also quoted in Kanye West’s 2010 release, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

As for her own album’s artwork, Rihanna explains, “Sometimes the ones who have sight are the blindest.”

Unfortunately, no new Rihanna music wasn’t played at the event. The singer herself also had very little to say. Only her latest single, “BBHMM,” was blasting throughout the small and crowded venue. As of right now, three singles expected to be on Rihanna’s new album have been released. “FourFiveSeconds” with Kanye West and Paul McCartney was the first one, which peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100. Her next single, “American Oxygen,” crashed down to No. 78, even with the release of her politically charged video. Her latest single, “B***h Better Have My Money,” rose to No. 15, but fell off the charts shortly after.

RiRi was obviously excited at the event, as she couldn’t stop beaming over her album’s artwork. She said that this album is her favorite that she’s worked on. Rihanna has been hands-on when it comes to producing and writing the songs on her new album, which could be the reason why it’s been taking some time. Rih hinted in previous interviews that she’s going in an experimental direction for her next album. She doesn’t want to release hits — she wants to release classic music.

Of course, that caused Rihanna to scrap her previous R8 album and work on a completely different one. And that’s where Anti comes in. But some of Rihanna’s Navy were left scratching their heads over the album’s new title. That’s when the singer took to Instagram to explain it the best way she knows how.

In another Instagram post, Rih only teased that the album is “coming soon.” But what does that mean to her fans? Is it coming in November, the same month that her previous albums have been released? Will Rihanna pull a Beyonce by releasing the album as a surprise by the end of the year?

The last time the singer released an album was in 2012, titled Unapologetic. The build up for R8 started in October 2014, when Rih shared photos of herself in the studio. There are also rumors that songs like “Kiss It Better,” “Higher,” “James Joint,” and “Only If for a Night” are also expected to be on the new album. Rihanna drove the Navy crazy when she got the frenzy and anticipation started by giving the details of her new album under the #R8 hashtag. Rihanna’s latest Vanity Fair cover and interview now makes sense. She’s gearing up for what’s now called her Anti era.

What are your thoughts on the album’s new title and artwork? Are you looking forward to Rihanna’s new album? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

[Images by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for WESTBURY ROAD ENTERTAINMENT LLC]