ANTI also came after a different hiatus. Prior to the album drop,
Unapologetic was released in 2012. Before that, almost every year since her 2005 breakout, the star released new albums, a pattern fans got used to.
“Every time we’ve done an album, we’ve always stepped out a little bit, Rihanna said in a 2016
Vogueinterview. “But this time, again, we spent so much time in between albums that I needed the music to match my growth. I didn’t want to get caught up with anything the world liked, anything the radio liked, anything that I liked, that I’ve already heard. I just wanted it to be me.”