Rihanna (Kind Of) Returns To Music With New ‘Smurfs' Song
Rihanna fans, rejoice! The wait for new music is finally over (kind of). The music icon and Fenty mogul is lending her voice and vocals to the upcoming Smurfs animated film, and with it comes a brand-new track. Read more and catch the latest trailer inside.
As revealed in the newly released trailer, Rihanna stars as Smurfette in the upcoming Smurfs movie, leading an all-star cast that includes John Goodman, James Corden, Sandra Oh, Nick Offerman, and more. The film follows the Smurf Village gang as they travel to the human world to rescue Papa Smurf from the clutches of the villainous Gargamel, voiced by J.P. Karliak.
In a delightfully meta teaser, Rihanna is seen donning a blue jacket and blue beads as she records Smurfette's dialogue. She effortlessly blends into the Smurf universe while giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at her dual role as both voice actor and executive producer. Her new song titled 'Friend of Mine' featured in the trailer, is a dreamy, Afrobeats-inspired dance anthem that includes the infectious hook, 'You're looking like a friend of mine.'
'Friend of Mine' is Rihanna's first official release since her 2022 Oscar-nominated ballad 'Lift Me Up' from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Though it's not a full album or even her original song, the track gives fans a little something to hold them over. She hasn't released music since her LP, Anti, dropped nearly a decade ago in 2016.
The Smurfs soundtrack promises even more musical firepower. In addition to Rihanna, South African breakout star Tyla and a collaborative track called 'Higher Love' by DJ Khaled, Cardi B, and DESI TRILL was released earlier this year and are part of the album.
Rihanna first announced her involvement in the project at the 2023 CinemaCon, joking about recording in her third trimester. Now pregnant with her third child, she recently confirmed on the Met Gala red carpet that her pregnancy won't stop her from creating music, or perhaps, even shooting music videos.
With The Smurfs set to hit theaters July 18, fans can expect a colorful adventure and a much-needed dose of Rihanna's magic, blue-hued and all. The track 'Friend of Mine' drops Friday, May 16. Be sure to pre-save the song with the link here.
SEE ALSO
Rihanna (Kind Of) Returns To Music With New 'Smurfs' Song was originally published on globalgrind.com
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Natasha Lyonne Jokes About Comparisons To ‘Smurfs' Role Mama Poot: 'Women, Don't Age In Hollywood'
With Natasha Lyonne joining a franchise based on a beloved '80s childhood classic, the Smurfs star was up for any role. The 2x Golden Globe nominee revealed how she got the voice role of Mama Poot in the new animated feature adaptation, which is now in theaters, and how she feels about comparisons to the character. More from Deadline 'Smurfs' Review: Rihanna And All-Star Cast Give Us The Blues In Franchise's Nostalgic Reboot Of The Cartoon Icons 'Poker Face's Natasha Lyonne & Rian Johnson On 'Completely Gonzo Bonkers' Season 2 & Which Former Co-Star They Want For Season 3 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Scares Up $2.2M In Previews, 'Eddington' $625K - Box Office 'So, they said, 'You wanna be a Smurf in a Smurfs picture?' It's an email, I say, reply all, 'Sure, who doesn't?' I mean, it's not Strawberry Shortcake, but I'll take it,' she recounted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fallon confirmed, 'Oh, Rihanna is Smurfette?' Lyonne quipped, 'Turns out, I'm not. I'm a character called Mama Poot. Well, it's okay. I'm older now, and that's what they mean. 'Women, don't age in Hollywood or you'll become Mama Poot.' The character they showed me is a hairball with one bottom snaggle tooth, not even a top (tooth). 'They're looking at me like, 'Isn't this charming that you guys seem so similar?' I said, 'Yeah, no, it's definitely going to help me get dates, I'm sure,'' added Lyonne. 'And guys, it's not about this, but I just want to remind everyone that I have a full set of real teeth. And I'm really proud of that. Not Mama Poot, though!' Written by Pam Brady and directed by Chris Miller, Smurfs also features the voices of James Corden, John Goodman, Nick Offerman, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Kurt Russell, Billie Lourd and more. Best of Deadline Streamer Subscription Prices And Tiers – Everything To Know As Costs Rise And Ads Abound (Hello, Peacock) - Update The Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Alan Bergman, Oscar-Winning Lyricist, Dies at 99
Alan Bergman, the three-time Oscar-winning lyricist who teamed with his late wife, Marilyn Bergman, to form one of the most celebrated writing duos in the history of movie music, has died. He was 99. Bergman, whose work includes such classics as 'The Windmills of Your Mind' — wonderfully employed for the second-season finale of Severance — 'Nice 'n' Easy,' 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' and 'The Way We Were,' died Thursday night of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter, producer Julie Bergman Sender, told The Hollywood Reporter. More from The Hollywood Reporter With His New Album, Alex Warren Isn't Broken Anymore Kate Beckinsale Announces Death of Her Mother, British Actress Judy Loe, at 78: "I Am Paralyzed" KCON L.A. Returns - How to Secure the Best Ticket Deals (and Stream the Festival Online for Free) Marilyn Bergman died in January 2022 of respiratory failure at age 93. The husband-and-wife lyricists worked particular magic with songstress Barbra Streisand and composers Marvin Hamlisch and Michel Legrand. They won Academy Awards for the best original songs 'The Way We Were' (shared with Hamlisch) from the 1973 Streisand film of that name and 'Windmills of Your Mind' (shared with Legrand) from The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). They received another trophy for their score for Streisand's Yentl (1983). They met Streisand, a fellow Brooklynite, when she was performing in a New York club as a teenager and before she starred in her breakout 1968 movie Funny Girl. Their songs for her included 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers,' which they wrote with Neil Diamond. (Streisand and Diamond recorded the song separately and then, by popular demand, did it as a duet.) Streisand also recorded their songs 'On Rainy Afternoons,' 'One Day' and 'After the Rain.' The Bergmans and Hamlisch won a Grammy Award for The Way We Were album, and the threesome shared an Oscar nom for 'The Last Time I Felt Like This' from Same Time, Next Year (1978). They also received Oscar noms with Legrand for 'What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?' (from 1969's The Happy Ending) and 'Pieces of Dreams' from the 1970 film of that name; with Henry Mancini on 'All His Children' (from 1971's Sometimes a Great Notion); and with Maurice Jarre on 'Marmalade, Molasses and Honey' (from 1972's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean). The Bergmans wrote lyrics for the Ray Charles song that opens In the Heat of the Night (1967), with music by Quincy Jones. And they penned several songs for Sergio Mendes, including the lyrics to 'Look Around.' The Bergmans received an Oscar nom in every year from 1969-74 and collected three in 1983 and then three more the following year. They were nominated 16 times in all and entered the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. They also wrote the lyrics for the opening theme songs for such TV series as Bracken's World, Maude, Good Times, Alice and Brooklyn Bridge and received three career Emmy Awards. 'When you're creating something, you sometimes have to go through a lot of stupid or silly things to spark your collaboration,' Alan said in a 1980 interview with People magazine. 'You learn to say what comes into your head.' Bergman met Marilyn Katz in 1956 (they wrote a song together that first day, 'I Never Knew What Hit Me,' which they said was terrible) and married two years later. They were born in the same Brooklyn hospital (he three years before her; Streisand was born at the Jewish Hospital, too) and grew up near each other, but they did not meet until they had moved west. After they wrote a song, it was Alan who would usually sing the number to the artist they were pitching, and he recorded an album of their tunes (Lyrically, Alan Bergman) in 2007. Alan Bergman was born on Sept. 11, 1925. The son of a salesman, he studied at the University of North Carolina, graduating in music and theater arts, and at UCLA, where he earned his masters. He served in World War II, writing and directing Special Services programs. Following the war, Bergman worked at CBS in Philadelphia as a TV director. While there, he met the famed lyricist, singer and songwriter Johnny Mercer, who encouraged him to write songs. Bergman then wrote for Marge Champion and Gower Champion and staged shows for Jo Stafford. Mercer encouraged Bergman to move back to L.A., and the lyricist was introduced to Marilyn at a party by composer Lew Spence. All three teamed on Fred Astaire's 'That Face' in 1957, Dean Martin's 'Sleep Warm' in 1958 and Frank Sinatra's 'Nice 'n' Easy' in 1960. ('That Face' also served as Alan's engagement present to Marilyn.) Bergman served four terms as president of the Academy Foundation, the educational and cultural arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition to his daughter, a producer on films including Major League, G.I. Jane, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Six Days Seven Nights, Bergman is survived by his granddaughter, Emily. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Elle
an hour ago
- Elle
Tina Fey Will Produce the 'John Proctor Is the Villain' Film Adaptation
The seven-time Tony-nominated Broadway play John Proctor Is the Villain is officially heading to the silver screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tina Fey and Marc Platt are set to produce the forthcoming Universal film, and the playwright Kimberly Belflower will write the screenplay. Sadie Sink, who received a nod for her performance, will serve as an executive producer. Here's everything we know so far about the project. (And if you haven't seen the play yet, it's currently running on Broadway until Aug. 31, 2025.) John Proctor Is the Villain takes place in rural Georgia, and follows a group of high school girls who are studying Arthur Miller's classic 1953 play The Crucible as they attempt to process feminism and the #MeToo movement. And at the end (spoiler alert!), two girls perform a choreographed dance to Lorde's Melodrama hit, 'Green Light.' In an interview with ELLE, Belflower spoke about the decision to end with the song. 'I knew from the start that the play should end with a dance sequence that doubles as an act of rebellion,' she said. 'This calls back to the girls in The Crucible dancing and casting spells in the woods, but it's also a way for the girls in my play to reclaim their own bodies, process their trauma, and cultivate joy in the face of a world that has never valued them and doesn't take care of them.' She went on to say that the sequence is akin to 'sleepover dances in your best friend's basement meets ancient witchcraft meets demonic possession.' Belflower continued, 'I never had to think about what the soundtrack of the play's ending should be. It was always 'Green Light.' These girls have walked the path of their pain, and it led them here: harnessing their hurt and turning it into magic, into art.' There's no confirmation yet on whether Lorde will be involved in the film adaptation. Cast details have yet to be announced. This story will be updated.
