Pop singer Rihanna has released the first single off of her upcoming album Anti. The new single, called Work, features guest vocals by none other than hip-hop icon Drake, and was premiered on BBC Radio 1 and other radio stations around the globe this morning.
The lead single off of Rihanna’s eighth full-length release, the song has many people speculating that the album will be released at some point this week as a surprise.
As far as would-be streamers are concerned, a full cut of the new track is harder than usual to come by. The song isn’t up on YouTube, SoundCloud or Spotify, but is available by visiting Tidal’s homepage and left-clicking on the artwork. The song is also available for purchase on iTunes and for streaming through Apple Music.
A quick-paced pop banger with a heavy digital beat, Work flows smoothly from section to section. Rihanna’s slightly-autotuned, slurred vocals do well to tie the somewhat disparate arrangement together, eventually offering cool harmonies below Drake’s soulful guest verse.
Anti will be the first studio release from Rihanna since 2012’s Unapologetic, and her first single since last year’s American Oxygen. Work marks her third collaboration with Drake, following Take Care and What’s My Name, which came out four and five years ago respectively.
The pair are also teaming up for a music video for the new song, which they were seen shooting in LA earlier this month, according to Billboard.
Anticipation for the new album has been building this week, after Rihanna released a photo of her listening to the record on $9,000 Dolce & Gabbana headphones. That said, Anti still does not have an official release date.
Which platforms will carry the record remains to be seen as well, but today’s single release indicates heavily that it will only appear on select paid streaming services, as sites with ad-funded playback like Spotify and Soundcloud did not get the new song.
