• Rihanna has released a new song for the Smurfs Movie
  • The song is called Friend Of Mine
  • Fans are making memes about Rihanna – she has not released her own music since 2016
Rihanna
Rihanna showed off her baby bump at the 2025 Met Gala. Credit: IMAGO/UPI Photo

Once again, Rihanna has awoken the internet stans as she has released a new song. But not for R9, which has fans making memes and demanding her to unreleased the song.

In order to promote the upcoming Smurfs movie, the Fenty Beauty founder, 37, has released a song called Friend Of Mine. To rub salt into the wound, the star has even released a music video for the song.

Fans of the singer have been craving new music, but Rihanna has not released an album in nine years. Her last album, Anti, was released in 2016, and her last solo song was called Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

However, from her eighth album, the last song released was a long time ago.

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The businesswoman is very busy running a lingerie company, a beauty line, and is pregnant with her third child with ASAP Rocky. When asked on the Met Gala red carpet if her pregnancy would delay R9, the singer joked and said no, maybe only music videos, but she can still sing.

We hope so.

How did the internet react to the new Rihanna song?

2025 Met Gala.
Rihanna fans demanded new music from the star. Credit: IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Overall, the reactions to Friend of Mine weren’t positive. On one hand, some fans said they’d take what they could get. Meanwhile, others demanded that the singer to un-release the song.

The song is bad, say some fans

After hearing the song, some fans said it was bad.

“I think we can ALL agree, it was objectively BAD,” one user on X commented on the song.

Another fan held a similar view: “3 years of no music just to release this horrid song,” they said.

One user said the 37-year-old will “do anything but drop an album”.

Alternatively, one user suggested the singer released a ‘bad’ song on purpose, so people would stop asking her for music.

You may be onto something there…But don’t forget, Rihanna is voicing Smurfette in this movie.

“I know Rihanna’s babies are so excited,” another fan said.

One supported the singer, reasoning they’d take what they could get.

Unrelease, say some Rihanna fans

In response to a post Rihanna made about the song, one user attached a meme of her with blue skin, like a smurf.”Unrelease it,” they demanded.

Similarly, another fan said the same thing.

A third fan requested the same thing of the singer, asking for Anti-style songs.

Sophie Humphrey is a freelance writer and journalist. Sophie has seven years experience in journalism and has a keen interest in pop culture and entertainment. Sophie has worked for the likes of Time Out...