Rihanna announces first new song in 3 years titled 'Friend Of Mine'

Rihanna has announced that her first song in three years will be released this week. The track, titled "Friend Of Mine," is set to drop on Friday, May 16. She revealed the news on social media on May 14.

Written for the Smurfs Movie soundtrack, "Friend Of Mine" was first teased in February when a trailer hinted at new music from Rihanna, who has a significant voice role in the film. This upcoming release follows her last song, "Lift Me Up," which came out in October 2022 for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Before "Lift Me Up," Rihanna's recent work included collaborations with artists like Drake, DJ Khaled, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and Kendrick Lamar. Her last full album, "Anti," was released in 2016. Rihanna has been working on its follow-up, referred to as "R9," and mentioned that she has scrapped years of work to start anew with a fresh perspective.

In February, she shared an update on R9, stating, “I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects... It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now.” Recently, after announcing her pregnancy with partner A$AP Rocky, she expressed optimism about her music, noting, “I can sing.”