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Rihanna has made her musical comeback with a new single titled Friend of Mine, released on Friday, May 16. The energetic track is part of the soundtrack for the upcoming Smurfs animated movie, where Rihanna also voices the character Smurfette.
The song features vibrant Afrobeats-inspired production, blending percussive drums with melodic synths to create an upbeat, dance-friendly vibe. A teaser for Friend of Mine premiered earlier this week in the movie trailer, showing Smurfette dancing and singing in the colorful Smurf Village.
Rihanna’s song joins other big names on the soundtrack, including DJ Khaled, Cardi B, DESI TRILL, and Tyla. The film’s plot follows the Smurfs banding together to rescue Papa Smurf from a wicked wizard.
Her involvement in the project was announced in 2023, while Rihanna was pregnant with her second child. She shared that working on the movie was a stress-free experience behind the scenes and hoped it would be something her children would be proud of one day.
At CinemaCon 2023, Rihanna joked about her pregnancy while discussing the film: “I get to show up in my PJs in my third trimester. I hope this gives me cool points with my kids one day.”
Friend of Mine is Rihanna’s first release since 2022’s Lift Me Up, featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Recently, Rihanna revealed she is pregnant with her third child with A$AP Rocky, showing off her baby bump at the Met Gala 2025. The couple already shares two children, RZA and Riot Rose.