· Rihanna is finally dropping new music—her first song in nearly three years lands this Friday
· The track is called “Friend of Mine” and it’s part of the upcoming Smurfs movie soundtrack
· It’s not the long-awaited R9 album (we know, sigh)—but hey, it’s something
· The snippet she posted has a laid-back Afrobeat vibe, with her singing: “You’re looking like a friend of mine”
· Rihanna’s not just on the soundtrack—she’s also voicing Smurfette in the movie
· Back in February, she teased that her next album is finally taking shape, saying she’s “feeling really optimistic” and “cracked it”… after nearly a decade of fans begging
· So is this the warm-up? The appetizer before the main course? Either way, new Rihanna is new Rihanna.