Rihanna New Album Update: Is Singer Releasing Heavy Metal Project?

There has been a long-standing rumor that Rihanna heavy metal album was in the works since 2009. The singer, who has been notably known for her pop and R&B prowess, surprised a lot of her fans when the news came about at the time.

The person who apparently suggested that a Rihanna heavy metal album is in the works? Her live guitarist Nuno Bettencourt. More than a decade later, Bettencourt has finally debunked the rumors of a Rihanna heavy metal album.

Rihanna Heavy Metal Album Debunked

Anyone who would be hearing the said rumor at this age and time would have thought that it was a very outlandish idea for Rihanna to make a heavy metal album in her comeback era.

In 2009, The Daily Star reported that Bettencourt had revealed in an interview back then that "CLOSET rock chick Rihanna" was supposed to release a heavy metal album. However, when the label got a hold on her plans, they apparently had a "seizure" on the plan of her new musical venture.

Bettencourt reportedly said that Rihanna had been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin and Paramore at the time.

But now, 14 years after the report was released, Bettencourt has finally broken his silence to address the rumors of a Rihanna heavy metal album.

Speaking to LouderSound, Bettencourt described that the report was all "lies."

"That's fabricated. It's so incorrect. I promise you on the life of my children that those words never came out of my mouth. It's a good story, which is why it got written I guess, but it's absolutely not true," he swore.

Bettencourt, the guitarist of the Rock band Extreme, said that Rihanna's team reached out to him and asked him to become part of the singer's live touring band, despite him being in a whole different genre.

"And I was told, that they just wanted me to be me, and do it on 'Umbrella' and everything, with heavy chords and riffs. I was like, 'Wow, that sounds fucking exciting for a guy like me who loves all genres of music. That's probably how that story started.' But she didn't want to do a heavy metal record," he further explained.

Rihanna New Album: What We Know So Far

As of this writing, nothing much is known about Rihanna's new album. 2023 has since been good for her.

From her Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for "Lift Me Up," to her now-iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show, Rihanna is gearing up for pretty much the most highly-anticipated comeback this year.

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