Rihanna, who hasn’t released a studio album in nearly a decade, suddenly sparked renewed rumors of retirement when she was seen out and about in New York City Thursday.
The “Work” singer, 36, was seen sporting a graphic tee, which read “I’m Retired,” when she was spotted in the city.
Beneath the eyebrow-raising declaration, smaller print declared, “This Is As Dressed Up As I Get.”
The sighting comes just over a month after the Grammy winner teased “amazing” new music that may or may not be on the horizon.
“It has to be [amazing] — that is the only reason it’s not out yet,” she told Extra in late April. “If I’m not feeling it and I’m not feeling like it represents the evolution, the time I spent away. There should be a show of growth, right?”
Noting that she regards music as “a playground,” the Barbadian superstar said she wants “to have fun with it and show truly where I’m at.”
Whether the shirt was Rihanna’s way of sending a message to fans or just evidence of her more laid-back maternal style remains unclear. She also told Extra ahead of the Met Gala, to which she was a no-show, that motherhood turned her style “from like ‘blah’ to ‘let’s see what fits’ to ‘I’m gonna be a bad b—- today.”
“You wanna be comfortable because you’re moving around so much and then it’s whatever fits,” said Rihanna.
With or without new music, the Fenty mogul has had a busy several years — founding her beauty and lingerie empire, welcoming two children with A$AP Rocky and headlining Super Bowl 2023.
