Rihanna Debuts New Song ‘Friend of Mine’ For Upcoming ‘Smurfs’ Movie Soundtrack

Rihanna has officially made her music comeback—sort of. The superstar has released her new single “Friend of Mine,” which will be on the forthcoming soundtrack for the new Smurfs film. This marks her first song in three years since “Lift Me Up” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

A snippet of the new song—co-produced by Fallen, Jon Bellion, and Pete Nappi—was first teased in the film’s trailer released on Wednesday, including the Fenty Beauty founder’s vocals over Afrobeats sonics. Its soundtrack is also set to feature contributions from Tyla, and a track titled “Higher Love” by DJ Khaled, Cardi B and Desi Trill that was released in February. The new trailer shows Rihanna being playful in the studio as she recorded lines for Smurfette and gives a glimpse into the film’s storyline. It seems residents of the fictional Smurf Village travel to the real world to save Papa Smurf after he’s kidnapped by evil wizard Gargamel.

Rihanna stars opposite John Goodman, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Sandra Oh and more. The movie will be released in theaters July 18th, with Rihanna serving as an executive producer.

The movie teaser and new track arrives just over a week after Rihanna attended the 2025 Met Gala alongside partner A$AP Rocky, who served as an event co-chair. Just before hitting the red carpet in Marc Jacobs, she strutted the rainy New York City streets in Miu Miu showing off a baby bump—revealing she’s expecting her third child with the rapper. This was also her second time showing off her baby bump at the event, the first being two years earlier in an all-white Valentino ensemble.

Celebrating her new song, the Fenty founder also revealed a Smurfette Collection Collector’s Tin, retailing for $150 from her brand, which includes seven limited-edition items. Liquid lipstick, a makeup sponge, and body cream are just a few items in the whimsical bundle.

Fans have been begging Rihanna to release a new body of work for almost a decade, with her last official drop being her album ANTI in 2016. Over the years, she’s coyly teased her fanbase about stepping back into the music scene and things seemed to look promising in February. The Telegraph reported the singer was rumored to be planning a London residency set for early July, but nothing formally came of the news. While fans aren’t getting a tour or a new album right now, they’ll likely settle for her new Smurfs song.