Rihanna Announces Music Comeback, But Not in the Way You'd Expect
The wait is finally over; Rihanna is officially back.
The music icon behind massive hits like 'Umbrella' and 'Love the Way You Lie' has announced her new single, 'Friend of Mine,' set to drop this Friday, May 16, 2025. It marks her first solo release in nearly three years—following the release of "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
But, similar to that release, the song isn't the first single from her next album. Instead, it doubles as the lead single from the official soundtrack of the upcoming Smurfs reboot.
But Rihanna is not just lending her voice to the soundtrack, she's stepping fully into the blue-tinted adventure, voicing the iconic Smurfette in the upcoming animated feature. The pop powerhouse joins a bold new chapter of the Smurfs saga, where a fresh "adventure comes out of the blue' and into theaters. Paramount Pictures UK has just unveiled the brand-new trailer and poster for SMURFS, which is set to hit cinemas nationwide in both the UK and the United States on July 18, 2025.
The trailer gives fans their first listen to 'Friend of Mine,' teasing what's to come in both the movie and Rihanna's musical return. The soundtrack drops this Friday and is available for pre-save now.
Directed by Chris Miller (Shrek the Third, Puss in Boots) and co-directed by Matt Landon, with a screenplay by Pam Brady, SMURFS is based on the classic characters by Peyo. The film features a powerhouse voice cast including 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, with legends Kurt Russell and John Goodman rounding out the cast.
Whether 'Friend of Mine' is a one-off release or the first step toward Rihanna's long-rumored next album remains to be seen. The singer, known for her genre-defying sound and effortless reinvention, is keeping those details under wraps, for now.
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