Rihanna has returned with her first new music since 2022.
The ‘Work’ hitmaker has shared ‘Friend of Mine’ from the new ‘Smurfs’ animated film – in what marks her first release since ‘Born Again’ from the ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ soundtrack.
Rihanna will also voice Smurfette in the animated movie released in cinemas nationwide on July 18.
The 37-year-old singer – who hasn’t released an album since 2016’s ‘ANTI’ – previously showed off her voice talents in ‘Home’ and has acted in the likes of ‘Ocean’s 8’ and ‘Battleship’.
Rihanna previously admitted she’s like to win an Oscar one day.
Asked if its on her list of goals, she previously said: “I’d love to get there one day. Who doesn’t want to be told they are doing a great job?
“Any validation that your work is impacting is rewarding. I work hard and put my all into everything I do but the rest isn’t up to me.
“I don’t think anyone makes an album thinking about winning a Grammy, or makes a movie thinking about winning an Oscar. What you do is work as hard as you can and if awards follow, then that’s great.”
Meanwhile, A$AP Rocky recently said he would love to act alongside his partner Rihanna.
The 36-year-old rap star told Variety when asked if he’d like feature on-screen with the mother of his children: “Hell, yeah.
“You saw her acting in my film [the 2022 music video] ‘D.M.B.’ You saw her acting in [my 2013 music video] ‘Fashion Killa’.”
Rocky stars in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’, the new Spike Lee-directed neo-noir crime thriller film.
Rocky – who has RZA, two, Riot, 21 months, and a third child on the way with Rihanna – said: “That’s gangster.
“Yo, this s*** is jokes, though. We both got movies coming out the same year. I didn’t even realise that. Wow! Shout-outs to us – we’ve been working!”
Rocky would love to make a movie that his children could enjoy.
He said: “I want to do something for my children. Everybody’s doing ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘SpongeBob’ and s*** like that. I want to do an original DreamWorks/Pixar-ass film, like ‘Soul’.
“I like the internet stuff too, like ‘Gracie’s Corner’. I hate ‘Cocomelon’. ‘Cocomelon’ is bad for the kids, man, but ‘Gracie’s’ is hittin’. I just hope my kids don’t grow up and think that s*** was lame. So, whatever I do, it’s gonna be cool and timeless.”
Smurfs will hit theaters on July 18, with Rihanna reprising her role as Smurfette. The film also stars Octavia Spencer, James Corden, Dan Levy, and more. According to the film’s synopsis, after “evil wizards Razamel and Garmael” kidnap Papa Smurf, “Smurfette leads the Smurfs on a mission to the real world to save him.” You can check out the trailer here.
