Rihanna ‘ANTI’ Rumors: Is RiRi Dropping New Album On Christmas Eve?

Rihanna’s new album may drop in time for Christmas. She’s been driving her fans crazy with the anticipation of her eighth studio album, ANTI.

Back in late November, Rihanna revealed the album’s title and artwork. She also has inked a $25 million deal with Samsung for its release. But instead of allowing Samsung to take control and promote her new album with a slick advertising campaign, Rihanna has been teasing the release over the past few weeks with a series of “rooms” that provide very little clues and drive her fans crazy.

Now rumors are circulating that RiRi’s new album will be released tomorrow – on Christmas Eve. Australia’s Today Show tweeted the news earlier tonight (Dec. 23), saying that the “BBHMM” singer has an “extra special Christmas present for her fans,” and that she will be dropping her highly anticipated album on Christmas Eve.

Strangely enough, the tweet has been removed from the Today Show’s Twitter account, which could mean that the rumors aren’t true, or that they broke some news they shouldn’t have, according to the Global Grind. Rihanna’s management team has been denying reports of when her album is dropping.

Previous rumors indicated that the bad gal may drop her album on Christmas Day instead. That’s because Rihanna has been sharing a video every week since she launched her “AntiDiary” campaign last month, but this is the first time she has released two videos in the same week, according to NME.com.

Although this information has not been confirmed, the change of pace in the release of her videos may suggest that ANTI could be released as soon as Christmas Day, which falls on a Friday this year, in line with the new music global release day. That would make more sense than if Rihanna released her album on Christmas Eve, when everyone is visiting their families or heading to parties.

But last week, songwriter and performer Sia revealed that the singer is still working on the album, revealing that Rih’s still looking for music to put on her new album.

“The other night she came over and listened to half of 25 songs I played her because she’s still looking for songs for her new album. She was there to listen to songs and see if there was anything that she was into. It was a business meeting for sure. She took four [songs] but I don’t know if they’ll end up [on the album].”

When Rihanna spoke to NME earlier this year, she revealed that she has not finished her new album, but she will finish it when she’s happy with it. Even the editors at Vogue are wondering what’s the deal with Rihanna’s new album and why it’s taking so long for her to release it. It’s probably because Rih has also been busy with her beauty and fashion ventures.

“Doesn’t she want to keep the pace going at its current furious speed? Nope. Instead of track listings there have been extended Caribbean holidays and fashion week parties: Amid the much talked-about album delays barely a week goes by when we don’t get to see Rihanna busy being RiRi (usually in seriously oversized clothes in New York).”

Earlier this month, the singer took to her social media accounts to announce her 2016 ANTI World Tour with Travi$ Scott. The Weeknd and Big Sean will support Rihanna on the European dates of her world tour, when it heads to the U.K. in June.

What are your thoughts on the rumors surrounding Rihanna’s new album? Do you think ANTI will drop on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or next year? Sound off below in the comments section.

[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for The Clara Lionel Foundation]