After three long years, Rihanna returns with her first new song and video since 2022’s “Lift Me Up,” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The new video and track, “Friend of Mine,” releasing May 17, is from the movie soundtrack: Smurfs, the upcoming live-action/animated hybrid film in which Rihanna plays Smurfette.
The new tune is described as a “frothy and rhythm-driven” Afrobeats-inspired dance track. Watch the official video below to hear Rihanna singing the catchy line, “You’re looking like a friend of mine.”
The video begins with Rihanna, wearing a blue jacket, walking through Smurf Village holding a giant flower as a parasol. As she pushes open a door to one of the houses, the video switches to the animated version of Smurf Village; we see Smurfette and all the other Smurfs dancing to the dance track. There are more trippy dance sequences, intercut with action sequences from the film. “Smurfs” opens in theaters nationwide on July 18.
Fans can pre‑order or pre‑save the full album now, ahead of its official drop on June 13.
“Friend of Mine” from the Smurfs movie
Speaking at a previous CinemaCon event, Rihanna opened up about her experience in the recording booth: “Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me. I’m usually front and center with everything with my likeness…but this was fun, I got to imagine, I got to show up in my pajamas in my third trimester, and be a blue badass,” she laughed. “I hope this gives me a little bit of cool points with my kids one day.”