Rihanna's New Song Is A Total Pop Anthem

It's been a big week for Rihanna fans: On Thursday evening, a March Madness commercial debuted a new Rihanna song called "American Oxygen," and based on its lyrics, it sounds absolutely MASSIVE. Honestly, I was not prepared for Rih to slay me like like this! The 27-year-old global superstar has been spoiling her loyal followers quite a bit lately: first, she shared two snippets of a new track called "Higher" on Thursday afternoon, and now, she's blessed us with "American Oxygen." Do these previews of new music signal that R8 is finally almost upon us? I sure hope so. I can't take this waiting game much longer!

(I need to send a shout-out here to the Internet for alerting me to the existence of "American Oxygen." You know I don't watch sports or really any other program that might advertise for March Madness, and without the World Wide Web, I probably would've missed out. Thanks, Internet!)

In the 30-second promotional spot, Rihanna poses in front of a giant American flag backdrop and sings:

Breathe out, breathe in

American oxygen

Young boy, listening

Trying to get the wheels in motion

Breathe in this feeling

American, American oxygen

This is the new America...

The song, which has this wonderful "anthemic" quality to it, is rumored to have been produced by Alex Da Kid — the producer behind Rihanna and Eminem's dramatic 2010 ballad, "Love the Way You Lie." Check out "American Oxygen" below.

Of the R8 tracks we've heard thus far, "American Oxygen" definitely has the most classic "Rihanna vibe" to it — but the "volume," if you will, is turned all the way up. I like where this track is headed! I'm excited to hear it in full.

Rihanna released seven studio albums between 2005 and 2012, and has often been criticized for not taking enough time between projects to create quality music. I think there's some truth to that. As much as I hate having to wait for Rih's next LP, part of me is happy to see her recording at a slower pace this time around. Something tells me it's really going to pay off.

Images: NCAA March Madness/YouTube; Alex Kritselis/Bustle