Rihanna Hits the Studio with The Neptunes

Rihanna is spending Valentine’s Day with The Neptunes.

The pop icon hit the studio with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, collectively known as production duo The Neptunes, for the first time this week to record for her long-awaited ninth album. Rihanna, who has remained tight-lipped about the project, shared a photo on her Instagram Story of the production console with The Neptunes name on it.

“Gang. back in da STU,” she captioned it.

She previously spoke about linking with Pharrell on Valentine’s Day. “I’m going to be in the studio. I’m so excited actually. I can’t say who I’m working with, but it’s somebody I’ve been wanting to work with him for a long time,” she told The Cut before revealing the secret. “Okay, I’ll tell you. [It’s] Pharrell.”

It’s been four years since Rihanna’s last album. In an interview with Vogue last year, she shared more details about the follow-up to 2016’s ANTI. “I like to look at it as a reggae-inspired or reggae-infused album,” she said. “It’s not gonna be typical of what you know as reggae.”

Rihanna has never actually collaborated with The Neptunes on her own albums. However, she did appear on N.E.R.D’s 2017 hit “Lemon.”

Pharrell and Chad, who will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this June, have also recently been cooking up new music with Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert, Brandy, G-Eazy, and Lil Nas X.

Additionally, Pharrell can be heard on the newly-released remix to Snoh Aalegra’s single “Woah.”