After almost three years of the release line, Rihanna is finally back – but not in the way fans had hoped. Instead of signaling the long -awaited arrival of R9, the pop star’s new single “Friend of Mine” will come through the coming Smurfs Film soundtrack. That is true-Riri’s return comes wrapped in blue and delivers a sweet, sun-soaked track that is more smurf village than the Stadium Tour.
The song officially lost on May 16, just two days after it first teased in Smurfs Trailer, where Rihanna’s character Smurfette (yes, she expresses her too) sings and dances through a candy colored village. But RI not only stopped lending her vote, as she is also credited as a producer on the animated function, which meets theaters on July 18. The audio track is stacked with contributions from Tyla, Cardi B, DJ Khaled and Desi Trill that round out the pop-heavy playlist.
The latest single may not be the wild, album-reneging banger fans have hoped for, but “Friend of Mine” still gives a windy, afrobeats-tented charm. With warm synths and mild percussion, Rihanna’s song flows over a sunlit track that feels more like a bedtime from Smurf Village than a festival -ready hit. Still, it’s Rihanna – so people agree, streams and spirals.
And they did spiral. Social media went as expected full RI-Lapse. “She said we would get new music and gave us a theme for children. Queen behavior,” said a fan. Another snapped, “Come into that studio, I’ve had it.” Still, during all memes and hollow Meltdowns, there is a genuine tension and joy, because an Rihanna-release is rare air, and the Navy knows it.
“Friend of Mine” follows the 2022’s “Lift Me Up”, her soaring ballad for Black Panther: Wakanda foreverWho snagged her a first Oscar-Nick. But her last full -length album, AntiGoing all the way back to 2016, and the wait for R9 has become things by pop culture legend. In his cover story in February for Harper’s Bazaar, Rihanna suggested that the wheels are finally turning on her long -awaited album. “I think music is my freedom,” she said. “I know there will be nothing that someone expects. And it will not be commercially or radical. It will be where my artist deserves to be right now. I feel that I have finally cracked it, girl!”
So while R9 remains a mystery that is wrapped in navy -blue hope, “friend of mine” is proof that the microphone is not collecting dust yet. Until then, we take what we get and dance happily with the smurfs.
Look at the full “friend of my” music video below.
Do you love this Rihanna moment? There is more where it came from. Capture all music, movies and pop culture on Celebmix, and let us know what you think about and – we are @celebmix everywhere!
