SuperstarRihannahas had a career many artists can only dream of. She’s not only an accomplished musician, she’s also an actress, model, and billionaire beauty maven. Althoughfans are constantly waiting for Rihanna to release a new album, the thirty-seven-year-old has only released a few singles here and there. Case in point, her latest song, “Friend of Mine,” was released in anticipation of the upcoming animated filmSmurfs. The single is a follow-up to her 2022 hit song “Lift Me Up” off the soundtrack of the movieBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, unlike “Lift Me Up”, “Friend of Mine” has not been received well by fans or critics, many of whom label it as underwhelming compared to her previous work. Indeed, the track does not properly showcase Rihanna’s vocals, and the tune feels somewhat under-produced. The song has left many to wonder if Rihanna will ever have a major musical comeback.
Rihanna’s “Friend of Mine” Is a Total Flop
On May 14,Rihanna released her first single in nearly three years with “Friend of Mine.“The three-minute and twenty-five-second track is off the soundtrack of the upcoming kids' animated film “Smurfs”, to which Rihanna also lends her voice. The song, whose lyrics are juvenile in the extreme, is about feelings of nostalgia and a sense of déjà vu when meeting someone new and likening them to an old friend. However, the song’s beat is more suited for the club rather than for a kid’s film. It appears that the song, co-written by Rihanna and produced byJon Bellion, was aiming for a more dance-oriented record.In a recent interview with Billboard, Bellion described the track as follows: “From a product standpoint, I don’t think you get such major chords and such a positive [message] over a dance record thatdoesn’tsound 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!”
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The track failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, which is rare for Rihanna, whose last song, “Lift Me Up” from theBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreversoundtrack, did significantly better, debuting and peaking at number two on the charts. The latter single also earned her a nomination forBest Song at the 2022 Academy Awards. For “Friend of Mine,” many critics cite that one of the main issues with the song is thatRihanna barely sings in it and that an Afro dance beat instead overpowers it. For example, Cosmopolitan magazine labeled the track as “confusing”, while The Daily Mail branded it as “unlistenable.” One fan wrote on Reddit about the song, “She just has like 3 lines that are repeated countless times. No verses. Just those lines, a club beat and some incomprehensible background vocals from someone else.” Another fan wrote, “WhenBritney Spearsdid a song forThe Smurfs 2movie, she at least put in some effort and gave us a cute bop with “Ooh La La”, but what Rihanna did here is unforgivable. This isn‘t even a song, it‘s more like a single phrase spoken word vocoder loop.”
Will Rihanna Make a Complete Return to Music?
At the2025 Met Gala,Rihanna graced the red carpet, arriving fashionably late behind her partner, rapperA$AP Rocky, and other celebrities. The pop icon and beauty maven has been one of themost talked-about celebritiesdue to her extravagant and unique fashion choices at the star-studded event. This year,Rihanna made another bold fashion statement and surprised fans by showing off a baby bump. Social media users have already gone wild over her third pregnancy.
Despite the flood of well-wishes from fans and celebrities, many are also discussing how motherhood might derailRihanna’s plans of releasing another album.One fan wrote on X regarding the news, “Rihanna is pregnant again…we are for sure never getting this new album.” However, according to Rihanna, all hopes of a new album, which, if released, would be her ninth, are not entirely lost.When asked by Billboard magazineabout that very question at this year’s Met Gala, Rihanna said, “Nooooo!” before admitting that some things might come a bit later. “Maybe a couple of videos! I can still sing!“She also revealed to Elle that her ninth album is still in the works, although a release date has yet to be determined.
