Anticipation was high for Rihanna’s first new song in three years, but “Friend of Mine” isn’t quite the comeback that the Navy had been anticipating.
Released today (May 16th) as part of the soundtrack for the upcoming Smurfs movie, in which Rihanna voices Smurfette, “Friend of Mine” features minimal lyrics beyond repeating, “Feel like a friend of mine” multiple times. It also contains only one verse, sung twice, over admittedly catchy Afrobeats-inspired production.
Regardless of whether it has met expectations, “Friend of Mine” is the singer’s first new, original music since 2022’s “Lift Me Up,” a more substantial, tender soundtrack cut from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman.
Related Video
Smurfs is due out on July 18th, and will follow Rihanna’s character, Smurfette, as she leads her fellow Smurfs into the human world to rescue Papa Smurf (voiced by John Goodman) from a band of evil wizards.
Meanwhile, “Friend of Mine” serves as the latest tease for Rihanna fans holding out hope for her long-awaited ninth studio album. “I’ve just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in February. “I’m actually feeling really good about this.”
Though no release date has been set for the project, Rihanna insisted that it “feels right.” She added, “This body [of work] needs to come out, and I’m ready to go there.” Her most recent full-length release was the acclaimed 2016 album Anti.
On the personal front, Rihanna recently announced that she is expecting her third child with partner A$AP Rocky.
Content shared from consequence.net.