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Wafric News – May 14, 2025

The Navy, rejoice! Rihanna is back with new music, and while her long-awaited ninth studio album isn’t quite here yet, fans can look forward to a brand-new track from the superstar — her first release in three years.

Titled “Friend of Mine,” the track is part of the upcoming Smurfs movie soundtrack, where Rihanna also takes on the iconic role of Smurfette. The song made its first public appearance in the newly released trailer for the animated film, showing Riri vibing in the studio, smiling and immersed in the music.

The full song is scheduled to drop this Friday, offering a taste of what fans can expect from her evolving sound.

This marks Rihanna’s first release since 2022’s “Lift Me Up”, the emotional ballad from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which earned her an Oscar nomination and sparked renewed hope for more music from the Barbadian megastar.

In this new Smurfs adventure, Smurfette takes center stage, leading the tiny blue crew on a daring mission into the real world to rescue Papa Smurf (voiced by John Goodman), who has been mysteriously kidnapped by evil wizards. Rihanna is joined by a stellar voice cast that includes James Corden, Dan Levy, Sandra Oh, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Octavia Spencer, Kurt Russell, and Hannah Waddingham.

As for the album everyone’s been waiting on since 2016’s ANTI, Rihanna recently hinted that the wait might soon be over. Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar earlier this year, she said she’s “cracked the code” on the creative direction of her next body of work.

“It feels like it digs right into where I need to be,” she said. “This body needs to come out, and I’m ready to go there.”

With Smurfs hitting theaters July 18, and “Friend of Mine” landing this week, Rihanna is serving up just enough to keep fans satisfied – for now.


By WafricNews Desk.

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