Rihanna cancels planned live music comeback - more than nine years after her last album was released

The Disturbia singer had scheduled six shows at London Stadium in July, marking her live music comeback nearly a decade after releasing her last album, Anti.

But according to a new report from the Sun, she has decided to put these plans on ice during a private meeting last week, claiming that her new music is not yet finished. Organisers are reportedly now scrambling to persuade her to reconsider, as the concerts were expected to generate a bucketload of cash.

Speaking to the tabloid, an industry insider said: “Rihanna hasn’t toured in over eight years, and the plan to get her back on stage has been ongoing for at least three. She had been eager to get back to it because the demand is certainly there, but she got cold feet.

“It doesn’t feel like the right time, and she dropped the bombshell last week that she doesn’t want to go ahead with the concerts in July as had been planned. The announcement of the shows had already been delayed, but as Rihanna fans are used to doing, they will just have to keep on waiting.”

Reports last month indicated she had reserved London Stadium for performances between July 4 and 12. There were also rumors she might headline Glastonbury, though that was never a confirmed possibility.

Instead, the line-up for the UK festival includes headliners such as Rod Stewart and Neil Young, while artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Biffy Clyro and Eminem have also been rumoured to be performing.

Rihanna had initially been in talks to headline the festival in 2023 after her Super Bowl half-time show, but she withdrew after becoming pregnant with her second son.

With 250m records sold, Rihanna is one of the best-selling artists in history. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she shared that she has finally figured out the direction of her long-awaited album.

She said: “I’ve been in the studio the whole eight years. I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects. And it’s not going to be commercial or radio-digestible.

“I feel like I’ve finally cracked it.”