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‘Friend of Mine’ Co-Producer Jon Bellion: Rihanna’s New Single Resulted From ‘A Bunch of People Having a Blast’
Rihanna producer Jon Bellion talks about working on "Friend of Mine" from the new 'Smurfs' soundtrack.
Unlike the superstar’s previous soundtrack work for films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Home, which tended to veer toward sweeping pop balladry, “Friend of Mine” is a thumping club track, with Rihanna’s voice positioned as an elliptical refrain over a house beat. Considering that Rihanna’s output has been scant since her 2016 album ANTI, Bellion was uncertain that “Friend of Mine” would see the light of day, but the spontaneity of the track’s creation stood out in his mind when it came together last year. “Friend of Mine” arrives shortly before Bellion’s third studio album, Father Figure, is released on June 6; the project marks his first solo full-length in seven years, and features guest turns from Luke Combs, Pharrell Williams and Jon Batiste.
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