Are you ready to think in Anti? Rihanna premiered her new single “Work” on BBC Radio 1 along with other radio stations all over the world this morning, and publications like Billboard believe the Drake collaboration is only an appetizer ahead of the star’s eighth LP is released to be a surprise sometime immediately. Anti becomes Rihanna’s first LP since 2012’s Unapologetic if it is released.
The song’s availability is scattered at this time. Tidal subscribers can tune in to the track here, and you could also purchase it on iTunes and stream it through Apple Music. If you’re a Spotify user or even a YouTube lurker, you’re at a complete loss: “Work” isn’t on those services yet. With that said, you are able to hear the song entirely by visiting Tidal’s homepage and exploring the artwork.
“Work” is Rihanna’s first single since recently’s anemic “American Oxygen,” this is Drake’s first new little bit of music since his September mixtape with Future, What a Time to Be Alive. It’s also Drake and Rihanna’s third single-length collaboration after 2010’s “What’s My Name?” and 2011’s “Take Care.” According to Billboard, the 2 stars were spotted filming the recording for “Work” in Los Angeles recently, however it is unclear when that video will likely be released. The song was made by frequent Drake collaborator Boi-1da, Allen Ritter, and Sevn Thomas.
The single’s appearance on selected streaming services casts an appealing shadow over Anti’s potential availability. Rihanna couldn’t survive the first major musician to withhold her album from a number of the major streaming services; she couldn’t survive the first to give Tidal a whole exclusive, either. (Prince succeeded last summer.) Keeping the album from services like Spotify for the period of a few weeks would mirror the strategies employed by artists like Coldplay and Adele (who still hasn’t released 25 to streaming services), however it would also handicap the song’s commercial performance. Drake is aware of this all too well: he lost from achieving his first Billboard #1 single recently because his infamous “Hotline Bling” video was an Apple Music exclusive.
The route to Anti has become marked with plenty false starts, strange promotional strategies, and singles that still did not generate sufficient buzz to have an album release. Earlier soon, Rihanna tweeted an image of herself paying attention to the album on $9,000 Dolce & Gabbana headphones, but some people remained skeptical concerning the album’s imminent release. It seems like you’ll be able to cast your skepticism aside, pop fans: “Work” is designed for real, and Anti’s just around the corner.