Rihanna Releases New Song ‘Friend of Mine’ for the ‘Smurfs’ Movie

May 16, 20253 Mins Read

Rihanna finally has new music out! Well, sort of.

On Friday, May 16, the nine-time Grammy winner released the song “Friend of Mine” as part of the upcoming Smurfs movie soundtrack. The synth-heavy song repeats the same lyrics about friendship — perfect for a kids movie and a song that will likely be unavoidable in due time.

“Oh I think the word her is déjà vu/just met you tonight, but you feel like a friend of mine,” the catchy tune, which sounds straight out of a house party, goes.

The music video is no different, with psychedelic graphics, bright colors and dancing Smurfs galore (with Rihanna, 37, playing Smurfette).

Rihanna for ‘Smurfs’.

Courtesy of Paramount Animation

Fans were divided over the new music, calling out the one phrase repeated throughout the song and the overall unexpected vibe. “A very unserious woman for singing 3 words but we’ll take it,” one said. “I wasn’t expecting a club hit for the smurfs,” another commented on YouTube.

“Love you DOWN queen but you’re NO FRIEND OF MINE dropping music like this. :(,” a third posted. “I just want Rihanna the singer back. Deadass.”

Other fans said that Rihanna, who announced she was pregnant with baby No. 3 at the Met Gala, was “trolling” for releasing the catchy dance tune. “girl at this point we’ll take what we can get i guess,” one fan concluded.

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One fan defended the Smurfs movie song, asking others to consider the audience. “#FriendOfMine is for kids. Ya’ll want her to have a song full of lyrics, how will the children who are learning to talk memorize a song full of sentences,” they wrote.

“She did what she had to do for the kids to be able to sing. WHY ARE YOU MAD? You’re not the target audience. ITS FOR THE KIDS.”

Another mentioned the catchy beat. “They put something in these kids songs to have them hooked cause the song been stuck in my head for the last 2 hours.” A third called it “insane (complimentary).”

One fan speculated the song’s viral potential. “wait…. kids music always go viral on youtube will billion views,” they theorized. “i kinda see the vision for rihanna’s smurf soundtrack.”

Rihanna ‘Friend of Mine’ single cover.

Courtesy of Paramount Animation

Directed by Chris Miller, the official synopsis for the movie reads: “When Papa Smurf is mysteriously taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette 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.”

Also in the animated film are James Corden, Nick Offerman, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine and others.