BILLBOARD – At first blush, Rihanna’s “Friend of Mine” does not sound like a single from a kids movie. 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.

Jon Bellion, who co-wrote and co-produced the track last year, was initially surprised to hear that the song would be featured in the upcoming Smurfs film, in which Rihanna is voicing Smurfette. Then he considered the sonic profile of “Friend of Mine,” and understood its mass appeal. “From a product standpoint, I don’t think you get such major chords and such a positive (message) over a dance record that doesn’t sound like a kids movie too often,” he tells Billboard. “So when do you nail the feel-good, family-friendly, high-taste, deep ‘90s nostalgia, that can also be played into the kids movie? Shoot it out into the world!”