Rihanna promises new music after dropping “Smurfs” trailer - All you need to know

Since a video of Rihanna signing at a bar surfaced in January on social media, fans responded with questions about her next release. Her last album, Anti, dropped in 2016, and ever since netizens have gone to almost any length imaginable to get the singer to respond with any information she could share about her future in music.

The Barbadian singer finally came through for her fans but with a slight hint. While she will be releasing a new track, it will not be a solo effort but rather a part of the official soundtrack for her upcoming feature Smurfs. The film and song are slated to come out on February 14, on Valentine’s Day. Fans were swift to react, notably willing to hear anything new from the universally celebrated icon.

Is Rihanna back in the booth?

The announcement of her upcoming track comes off the heels of the international trailer debut for Smurfs.

Before the trailer even begins, there’s a short clip of the prolific singer and businesswoman who addresses the public directly. “I’m Rihanna, and I play Smurfette in the new movie,” she opens the trailer. Her voice can then be heard littered throughout the rest of the trailer, even once referring to her character as “The coolest Smurf in the entire village.”

Rihanna's musical career at a glance

Rihanna has enjoyed one of the most successful musical careers in recent memory, with her influence on the industry being apparent. She first rose to fame in the early 2000s but reached the cultural zeitgeist in 2007 off the success of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad. This famously featured the smash hit “Umbrella” amongst others and cemented her status in the industry.

Rihanna continued to dominate the charts over the years, showcasing the type of growth that earned her acclaim and commercial success with every release.

Post dropping Anti in 2016 (perhaps her best work to date), the mogul stepped away to focus on her business projects, namely her Fenty Beauty conglomerate and more recently, the Savage X Fenty lingerie line. She also took some time to spend with family, her husband A$AP Rocky, and their children. The last tune she released was Lift Me Up off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack in 2022.