‘He can sing. He really is good’: Rihanna praises James Corden after surprise duet in new ‘Smurfs’ movie

James Corden and Rihanna have finally worked together, but not in the way fans might have expected. The pair have recorded a duet for the new ‘Smurfs’ animated movie, where Corden plays No Name Smurf and Rihanna voices Smurfette.

According to People, the collaboration comes after Corden’s many attempts to get Rihanna on his popular Late Late Show segment, Carpool Karaoke. At the world premiere of the ‘Smurfs’ movie in Brussels, Corden shared that he had been trying for eight years to get the singer to appear on his show.

Rihanna, who is 37 years old, was impressed by Corden’s singing abilities in their duet for the film. “He can sing. He really is good!” she said, adding that his musical talent was “one of the biggest surprises of the whole thing.” Corden, however, took a more modest approach, saying he couldn’t talk seriously about singing with Rihanna because it was “silly.”

Rihanna’s long-awaited return to music starts with Smurfs soundtrack

The singer has contributed to the ‘Smurfs’ soundtrack with a new song called Friend of Mine. Fans have already called the synth-heavy track a “club hit,” and it comes with a music video featuring psychedelic graphics. This marks Rihanna’s first new music since her 2016 album Anti, continuing her gradual return to music after years of focusing on her business ventures and personal life.

According to Corden, Rihanna had always told him she would do Carpool Karaoke when she had new music to promote. However, his show ended in 2023 before she released any new material, bringing an end to his eight-year run as host. The 46-year-old host mentioned that he would gladly bring back the segment for a week if Rihanna releases new music.

The new ‘Smurfs’ movie follows Smurfette, played by Rihanna, as she leads the ‘Smurfs’ on a mission to save Papa Smurf, who has been captured by evil wizards Razamel and Gargamel. The story takes place in the real world as the ‘Smurfs’ try to save the universe.

The animated film features an impressive cast alongside Rihanna and Corden, including Dan Levy, John Goodman, Sandra Oh, Nick Offerman, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña and Kurt Russell.