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Rihanna Returns to Her Old ‘Friend’ Music, But Is ‘Smurfs’ Song the Musical Return Fans Wanted?
On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are chatting about whether "Friend of Mine" is the musical return Rihanna's fans were hoping for.
Rihanna fans have been waiting not so patiently the last three years for new music, and it finally arrived Friday in the form of the Smurfs soundtrack song “Friend of Mine.” The vibey new song is the perfect backdrop for a Smurf dance-off, as evidenced by the mostly animated music video, but the three-minute-plus track is pretty production-forward and only includes limited doses of Rihanna’s dreamy vocals, mostly looping the same repeated title line. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are chatting about whether this is the musical return Rihanna’s fans were hoping for, or how the song could be maximized with a new remix version or once we see it in the full context of the Smurfs movie, in which Rih voices Smurfette.
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