@badgalriri
Beyond highlighting the release date (which Twitter has already declared an international holiday), Rihanna teased 14 seconds of the track on her social media platforms.
Rihanna has played coy about fresh music for the better part of a decade now, but on 26 October, the Fenty mogul officially confirmed that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will feature an original song. Released six years on from her last EP, ANTI, “Lift Me Up” will be the lead single for the Marvel sequel’s soundtrack—and Ri’s first solo track since “Sledgehammer” in 2016. It follows Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All The Stars” for the original 2018 blockbuster, which received both Oscar and Grammy nominations.
Beyond highlighting the release date (which Twitter has already declared an international holiday), Rihanna teased 14 seconds of the track on her social media platforms, while a press release confirmed that she had worked on the project with musician Tems, producer Ludwig Göransson and director Ryan Coogler.
“After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life,” Tems shared of the inspiration. “I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them. Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honour.” “Lift Me Up”, the release adds, is also a tribute to “the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman”, who died in 2020 after battling cancer.
Ri’s internet-shaking post comes shortly after the announcement that she will be headlining the Super Bowl in 2023, which prompted speculation that the near-mythical R9 album may be at hand at last. Our bigger concern: what will the queen of the Met Gala wear for her NFL gig? Stay tuned.
This post was originally published on Vogue UK.
