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Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Friend of Mine' Co-Producer Jon Bellion: Rihanna's New Single Resulted From ‘A Bunch of People Having a Blast'
At first blush, Rihanna's 'Friend of Mine' does not sound like a single from a kids movie. Unlike the superstar's previous soundtrack work for films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Home, which tended to veer toward sweeping pop balladry, 'Friend of Mine' is a thumping club track, with Rihanna's voice positioned as an elliptical refrain over a house beat. Jon Bellion, who co-wrote and co-produced the track last year, was initially surprised to hear that the song would be featured in the upcoming Smurfs film, in which Rihanna is voicing Smurfette. Then he considered the sonic profile of 'Friend of Mine,' and understood its mass appeal. 'From a product standpoint, I don't think you get such major chords and such a positive [message] over a dance record that doesn't sound like a kids movie too often,' he tells Billboard. 'So when do you nail the feel-good, family-friendly, high-taste, deep '90s nostalgia, that can also be played into the kids movie? Shoot it out into the world!' More from Billboard Nessa Barrett Announces 2025 Australian Arena Tour Sombr Announces 2025 Australia and New Zealand Headline Tour Eddie Vedder Covers Springsteen's 'My City of Ruins' After Trump Clash That's exactly what Rihanna did on Friday (May 16) with 'Friend of Mine,' which precedes the Smurfs soundtrack (out June 13 through Roc Nation Distribution) and her star turn in the Smurfs film (in theaters July 18). Three years after her last music release, Rihanna has offered 'Friend of Mine' as a long-awaited check-in with fans, and an unexpected song of the summer bid. The song came together during one of Bellion's writing camps at his vacation home in the Hamptons last summer, with the studio veteran producing the song with Pete Nappi and Fallen, and all three receiving co-writing credits along with Elijah Noll, Elkan, Tenroc and Rihanna. That group of writers and producers are part of Beautiful Mind Projects, Bellion's management, publishing and label company, and Bellion — who's helped artists like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Maroon 5 score pivotal hits in recent years — says that the energy heard on 'Friend of Mine' is a reflection of his collective's collaborative spirit. 'It was a bunch of people having a blast, doing a music camp together, jamming on some DJ s–t and playing chords and just having fun,' he says. 'And I think that that's probably why it ended up sounding so new. It just felt like a natural thing, with a bunch of guys who like being around each other and want to make great s–t.' 'Working with [Jon] is always exciting because you know you're going to walk away with a real song,' the producer Fallen, who's also worked with artists like Doja Cat and Summer Walker, tells Billboard in a statement. 'He sees things through. He's the kind of person who will spend an entire week on a single track if that's what it takes. We spent about three days on 'Friend of Mine,' just refining and dialing it in. Coming from the hip-hop world, I'm used to making five songs in a single session, so this level of detail was new for me. But it's been the most valuable lesson I've learned working with him.' One of Bellion's earliest hits as a co-writer was 'The Monster,' the 2013 smash from Eminem and Rihanna that topped the Hot 100 chart for four weeks. In the decade-plus since that breakthrough, he's stayed in touch with Rihanna's team, and says that he's contributed 'a couple songs' to her camp over the years that have yet to be released. Considering that Rihanna's output has been scant since her 2016 album ANTI, Bellion was uncertain that 'Friend of Mine' would see the light of day, but the spontaneity of the track's creation stood out in his mind when it came together last year. 'The song is raw — like, she didn't really mix it further than the two track that we sent out,' he says. 'We [sent] it out, and I had it on my phone for a few days, and I just remember, every morning I'd wake up listening to it. I'd listen to it in the shower, like, 'This is kind of jamming!'' Bellion couldn't recall another Rihanna single that sounded quite like 'Friend of Mine' — and he says that, at some point after the song was finished, the realization hit him that unexplored territory was exactly what she had been searching for. 'She's not looking for 'We Found Love 2.0,' or 'Work 2.0,'' he says. 'The arrangement and the feel feels all very new — very cutting-edge, in front of what the next wave will be, because she usually tries to do that every time she puts something out.' 'Friend of Mine' arrives shortly before Bellion's third studio album, Father Figure, is released on June 6; the project marks his first solo full-length in seven years, and features guest turns from Luke Combs, Pharrell Williams and Jon Batiste. While Father Figure includes deeply personal reflections on fatherhood and its challenges, Bellion is glad that 'Friend of Mine' has arrived a few weeks beforehand, to give him a chance to pull off something he has yet to accomplish professionally. 'My whole career, I've wanted [a song] that plays at all the events — all the baby showers and sweet sixteens and wedding and Bar Mitzvahs,' Bellion says with a laugh. 'I don't think I've ever really had one of those, so it feels great, and hopefully it does well.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Clipse Announce Let God Sort Em Out , First New Album Since 2009
Clipse's No Malice and Pusha T, photo by Cian Moore After years of teasing, Pusha T and No Malice have made it official: There will be a new Clipse album. Let God Sort Em Out, the Thornton brothers' long-awaited follow-up to December 2009's Til the Casket Drops, is out July 11 via Roc Nation Distribution. Longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams produced the new album, and Kaws did the artwork. The new album's lead single, 'Ace Trumpets,' is out on Friday, May 30. During their 2000s heyday, Clipse released three studio albums—Lord Willin' (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006), and Til the Casket Drops—and three volumes of their iconic We Got It 4 Cheap mixtape series. After Clipse went on hiatus, Pusha T released numerous standout projects, beginning with 2011's Fear of God mixtape and extending to the 2022 studio album It's Almost Dry. No Malice, meanwhile, shared just two albums, Hear Ye Him (2013) and Let the Dead Bury the Dead (2017). Clipse reunited, in 2019, on Kanye West's Jesus Is King song 'Use This Gospel.' The Thorntons have since performed together regularly, playing sets at Primavera Sound Barcelona, Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, and elsewhere. Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
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. More from Rolling Stone Rihanna Is Dropping Her First Song in 3 Years for 'Smurfs' Soundtrack A$AP Rocky Gets Criminal Case Record Sealed After Acquittal Rihanna Reveals She's Pregnant With Third Child at Met Gala '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!' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
