Rihanna Returns With Club Banger ‘Friend of Mine’

Rihanna has dropped a new single, “Friend of Mine.” The upbeat, Afrobeats-inspired dance track was written for forthcoming animated movie Smurfs, in which the singer voices Smurfette.

A video for the song sees Rihanna approaching the Smurfs’ village with a giant flower as an umbrella. As she goes inside, it transitions to animation and the small blue creatures dance along to the lively track—with some pretty impressive moves. The club-ready single marks Rihanna’s first new music since 2022’s “Lift Me Up,” recorded for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

“Friend of Mine” will appear on the Smurfs soundtrack, along with DJ Khaled, Cardi B, and Desi Trill’s “Higher Love,” which dropped in February. The soundtrack is set for release on June 13 via Roc Nation Distribution and will also feature a new song from Tyla.

Smurfs hits theaters on July 18. The official synopsis notes, “When Papa Smurf (John Goodman) is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette (Rihanna) leads the Smurfs on a mission into the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.” Other voice actors include James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Marshmello, and Kurt Russell.

Rihanna notably hasn’t dropped an album since 2016’s Anti. The singer last provided a real update on her potential next album in February, saying she was “feeling really optimistic” about the music she had been working on.

“This feels right,” she said. “It feels like it digs right into where I need to be, and I want this. This body needs to come out, and I’m ready to go there. This is becoming my new freedom, because when I’m in the studio, I know that my time away from my kids is to blossom something that hasn’t been watered in eight years. I’ve been in the studio the whole eight years. But it didn’t hit me. I was searching for it.”

She continued, “I went through phases of what I wanted to do. ‘This kind of album, not that album.’ I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects. And it’s not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now. I feel like I’ve finally cracked it, girl!”