Rihanna to Release First Song in Three Years for ‘Smurfs' Soundtrack
The superstar shared the news along with a trailer for the film on Wednesday, which also features snippets of the song. Rihanna is starring in the Smurfs film alongside John Goodman, James Corden, Nick Offerman and Sandra Oh, and she's a producer on the project as well. 'Friend of Mine' drops on May 16, while Smurfs will hit theaters July 18th.
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Chris Miller was tapped to direct the movie, which focuses on the Smurfs venturing out to save Papa Smurf after he was kidnapped by wizards. This is the first Smurfs movie since 2017's Smurfs: The Lost Village.
'Friend of Mine' is Rihanna's first song since 2022's Lift Me Up, which she recorded for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. That song hit Number 2 on the Hot 100 and went platinum in 2023. Fans have clamored for years for a full-fledged comeback from Rihanna, who remains one of the biggest pop stars in the business despite not releasing an album since 2016, and while that still might not be on the immediate horizon, they'll settle for new music in any form.
Rihanna confirmed last week at the Met Gala that she is pregnant with her third child with rapper A$AP Rocky, showing off her baby bump as she closed down the gala's red carpet. It wasn't her first time confirming a pregnancy at a high profile event, having debuted her second pregnancy during her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance back in 2023.
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