Rihanna released a song Friday after a three-year hiatus. The tune will be featured in the upcoming “Smurfs” movie, as the Fenty mogul will also be voicing Smurfette when the film hits theaters on July 18.
The song titled “Friend of Mine” is an upbeat Afrobeats-inspired dance track. The music video begins with Rihanna holding an oversized flower like an umbrella as she walks through a door which takes her to Smurf Village. While there, she transforms into Smurfette as she sings and dances with the other Smurfs.
Rihanna Shares ‘Smurfs’ Trailer
Rihanna previously teased the release of the song on social media Wednesday when she shared the trailer for the new film.
The 37-year-old captioned the post, “New #SmurfsMovie trailer featuring ‘Friend Of Mine’ from the Smurfs soundtrack out Friday. pre-save now.”
The film will follow Smurfette and other Smurfs as they try to rescue Papa Smurf after he was captured by evil wizards, according to the description on IMDb.
The star-studded cast includes John Goodman, James Corden, Nick Offerman and Sandra Oh.
Prior to the release of “Friend of Mine,” Rihanna released “Lift Me Up” on Oct. 28, 2022, which was featured on the soundtrack for Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song as well as a Golden Globe nomination for it.
Rihanna Discusses New Album and Pregnancy
Rihanna revealed she is pregnant with her third child while attending the Met Gala in New York City on May 5.
The “Umbrella” singer spoke with Entertainment Tonight and said her pregnancy was going well.
“I’m good, shockingly feeling okay,” she told the outlet. “And not too overwhelmed at the moment. At first, I was kind of like—tired but I’m excited.”
The reporter asked if her highly anticipated album dubbed “R9” might be delayed.
“No,” Rihanna added. “Maybe a couple videos, but I can sing.”
No dates have been given regarding when “R9” will be released. Rihanna spoke with Harpers Baazar in February and gave an update regarding the status of the album.
“Every time, I was just like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right. It’s not matching my growth. It’s not matching my evolution. I can’t do this. I can’t stand by this. I can’t perform this for a year on tour,'” she explained to the outlet.
While Rihanna might have had some trouble, she added she now knows what direction she wants to take the album.
“I just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work,” she added. “I am actually feeling really good about this.”
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Rihanna Drops First Song in 3 Years for ‘Smurfs’ Movie