Rihanna has said she would like three or four children in the next decade – even if she fails to meet the right partner.

The pop siren, 32, told British Vogue that society diminishes women who raise their children without a father figure, and the only thing necessary to raise a child is love.

Asked where she sees herself in 10 years, the singer said: “I’ll have kids – three or four of them.”

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The May 2020 issue of British Vogue was created prior to the pandemic which has subsequently brought the world almost to a halt. In any case, we couldn’t imagine a better cover star than @BadGalRiri, an advocate for tolerance whose rallying cry has redefined every industry she’s turned her hand to, and whose generous spirit saw her make a $5 million donation to fight Covid-19 with her @ClaraLionelFdn earlier this month. In the new issue the multi-hyphenate talks to @AfuaHirsch about her forthcoming album, her desire to become a mother and why she won’t be pinned down. See the full story in the new issue, on newsstands and available for free digital download Friday 3 April, and read the full interview now at the link in bio. #Rihanna wears all @Burberry by @RiccardoTisci17 and a @StephenJonesMillinery durag. Photographed by @StevenKleinStudio and styled by @Edward_Enninful, with hair by @YusefHairNYC and @NaphiisBeautifulHair, make-up by @IsamayaFfrench using @FentyBeauty and nails by @RedHotNails. With thanks to @JillDemling.

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Rihanna said she plans to have children even if she never meets a suitable man, adding: “I feel like society makes me want to feel like, ‘Oh, you got it wrong.’

“They diminish you as a mother (if) there’s not a dad in your kids’ lives. But the only thing that matters is happiness, that’s the only healthy relationship between a parent and a child.

“That’s the only thing that can raise a child truly, is love.”

The Barbados-born London-based star, who is on the cover of the magazine’s May issue, also revealed she is “very aggressively” working on music for her ninth album.

“I can’t say when I’m going to drop… but I am very aggressively working on music.

“I don’t want all my albums to feel like themes. There are no rules, there’s no format, there’s nothing. There’s just good music and if I feel it, I’m putting it out.”

She also addressed whether the long-awaited album, tentatively titled R9, would be influenced by reggae.

“Oh no, that is happening,” she said.

“I feel like I have no boundaries. I’ve done everything. I’ve done all the hits, I’ve tried every genre. Now I’m just, I’m wide open. I can make anything that I want.”

Rihanna, who was last year named the richest woman in music by Forbes, fronts a fashion empire that includes her Fenty Beauty cosmetics line and Savage X Fenty lingerie brand.

Graham Norton Show
Rihanna on the Graham Norton Show (Isabel Infantes/PA)

She said it is “shocking” that Fenty Beauty is one of the first cosmetic brands to cater to black women.

Rihanna told the magazine: “I’m shocked by people saying, ‘Oh my God, what made you think of making make-up for black girls?

“I’m like, ‘What? You thought this was like a marketing strategy? Like I’m a genius?’

“It’s shocking most of the time, then it turns into disappointment that this is groundbreaking right now. In my mind, this was just normal.”

Read the full feature in the May issue of British Vogue, available on free digital download and on news stands from Friday.