Rihanna's career has always operated at a breakneck pace. From 2005 to 2012 she released a new album every year—bar 2008. The fact that ANTi came out in 2016 (not 2013, as history would suggest) meant that before even pressing play, it was unlike anything Rihanna had ever done.

Now that you've had the chance to give ANTi a few spins, you know the delayed release isn't the only thing un-Rihanna about. The entire album sounds nothing like the ex-pop princesses discography. It doesn't even sound like the singles she released in 2015. In fact, the only typically Rihanna thing about ANTi was that it leaked two hours before it was scheduled to drop. And it turns out, that wasn't even on purpose.

Speaking with SPIN, Grace Kim (TIDAL's marketing director) explained the leak wasn't deliberate, but the team do know what caused it. "Look, we know what happened here, in the sense that unfortunately we still rely on systems, and there was a system error [caused by Universal Music Group]. But I don't think it hurt it at all." Grace isn't wrong: the album has done incredible numbers, clocking 1.4 million downloads in just 15 hours. Damn RiRi!

READ our review of ANTi

Credits

Photography Paolo Roversi

Fashion Director Alastair McKimm

Make-up Yadim at Art Partner using Maybelline New York.

Hair Yusef Williams.