Fresh off the success of her violent anthem “B**** Better Have My Money,” Rihanna changed up her sound and  dropped the first single off her upcoming album “Anti” titled “Work” on Wednesday.  The song features prolific “Hotline Bling” rapper Drake, whom she has collaborated frequently with on “Take Care” and “What’s My Name?”

With the success of Rihanna and Drake’s previous collaborations looming in the background, the new single poses the question: will the duo’s new single blow up in quite the same way?

Fortunately, the Barbados native’s new track seems destined for the top of the charts. The beat is simple with obvious Caribbean influences and the hook is easy to pick up, oozing with sing-along potential. Rihanna’s melodic, cigar smoker’s croon streams over the beat easily, wonderfully paired with Drake’s softer and emotional voice as he flows off her repetitive lyrics. Although the song might be a little slow, a remix would surely have it being played full blast in clubs across the world.

Throughout their relationship working together and the time spent in between, Rihanna and Drake have grown as musicians, experimenting and switching up their public images. The songs they have released together have served to chronicle this growth. However they experiment individually, their separate styles always manage to blend into a masterpiece.

At first the song seems an island breeze, but under the beat lays a deeper story, possibly hinting at the tone of Rihanna’s new album and elaborating on her musical and personal relationship with Drake. Their collaborations so far have narrated the hesitant beginning phase of a relationship of two potential lovers to a painful but necessary separation of the same lovers. On this next single, the reconciliation is born.

Although it might be hard to understand what is Rihanna is saying all the time, through the tone of her voice and the words that are understandable, the relationship shows. Both Rihanna and Drake are busy people with full lives and demanding jobs, but they still want to spend time with each other and grow together. The song is personal without being too encroaching on a relationship that they kept out of the public eye.

Ri-Ri and Drizzy are sharper and more individualistic artists today, and while before their songs were more about the fame and setting up a publishable image, now they are polished and interested in roughing up that polish. The question then becomes how will Rihanna do so?

Rihanna is no stranger to reinvention. Beginning her music career with the persona of an innocent and upbeat new pop star, she quickly did a 180 on her third album and fiercely changed her image to that of a sharp and fearsome femme fatale with a short pixie cut, some dark lipstick, and an even darker message. The next era of Rihanna was the life of the party, an artist largely connected to her fans. Now a new era begins as the islander releases new music, leading the listener to wonder just what her new album will entail.

Although she had released three singles last year, including “FourFive Seconds,” and “American Oxygen,” “Work” is her first single off the new album. It is available on iTunes and the music streaming service Tidal, but not the music giant Spotify.

Rihanna will start touring for her yet-unreleased album on Feb. 22, opening at the Viejas Arena in San Diego. With the new single and world tour, Rihanna will surely confirm her spot as a pop diva. Will her new album reflect her earlier pop days, her rock star phase, or usher in a completely new Rihanna era?