Anti: Rihanna radiates sex appeal at new album art and title unveiling in LA's Mama Gallery

Three years after she gave the world her last album, 2012's Unapologetic, Rihanna's long-awaited eight studio album is finally on its way. Entitled Anti, the record cover is a collaboration with Roy Nachum who created the artwork featuring a childhood photo of Rihanna washed in a sea of red paint with a metallic gold crown covering her eyes.

"He sees things beyond the surface, which is why we even decided to collaborate," she said of Nachum, who is a favourite of celebs like Jay Z, Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Timberlake. "I fell in love with him because I felt like there was another spirit, there was another layer to the art. After we met, we talked about what I wanted visually, what would make me the happiest girl in the world."

The pop superstar hosted an intimate soiree at Mama Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, where she unveiled the title and cover art to her new project. The star-studded event was attended by the likes of singer Nick Jonas and Straight Outta Compton actor O'Shea Jackson Jr. She maintained a level of mystery by handing out red blindfolds upon entry, and told guests to close their eyes and touch over-sized braille versions of her album liner notes.

RiRi chose a plunging black dress and a satin overlay jacket for the outing and completed her sultry look with dramatic black lipstick.

Her fans, often known collectively as #RihannaNavy, have already been treated to tracks Bitch Better Have My Money, American Oxygen, and FourFiveSeconds (the latter with Kanye West and Paul McCartney) from the album, rumoured to be titled R8.

Back in September, Chris Brown's former girlfriend said that the album would be her best to date: "It's always gonna reflect where I am, or who I am at that time. This one is going to do the same. It's not going to be different. I'm having a lot of fun making this. Every album its like a new era, a new story to tell. A new chapter of your life," she said at the launch of her new perfume fragrance.

"I'm also working on a lot of other projects so there are a lot of babies now, not just the album. But we have never stopped working on it. I can't wait to put it out."