Rihanna Returns To Music w/ New Song For ‘Black Panther 2,’ The Track Will Be A Tribute To The Life & Legacy Of Chadwick Boseman

Rihanna Returns To Music w/ New Song For ‘Black Panther 2,’ The Track Will Be A Tribute To The Life & Legacy Of Chadwick Boseman

Rihanna is officially making her return to music with ‘Lift Me Up,’ the lead single on Marvel’s blockbuster sequel ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’

According to reports, ‘Lift Me Up’ will be a tribute to the life and legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman who was the main character and leading star in the original ‘Black Panther.’ Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the original ‘Black Panther,’ died of colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43.

Chadwick Boseman

The follow-up film centers on Wakanda’s leaders as they contend with the death of their ruler and fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers. Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, and Winston Duke co-star in the film.

‘Lift Me Up’ was written by Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, and director Ryan Coogler. The track will be released on Friday, Oct. 28 in advance of the movie, which premieres in theaters on Nov. 11.

Tems had this to say in a statement about the song:

“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. 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 honor.”

Tems

Rihanna’s own Westbury Road label is releasing ‘Lift Me Up’ in partnership with Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records. Details about the rest of the movie’s soundtrack– which will be available on Nov. 4– still remain vague.

On Wednesday (Oct. 26), Rihanna briefly teased the song on her social media.

lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj

— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022

The news of ‘Lift Me Up’ only amplifies Rihanna’s long-awaited return to music. As previously reported, the ‘Work’ singer is set to headline the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in February of 2023. Rihanna has reportedly been in talks to headline the show for quite some time. However, it seems Jay Z and Roc Nation were the only ones to convince the Barbados-born artist to join the long list of halftime-performing greats, such as Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Dr. Dre, and many more.

Rihanna

It’s been 6 years since Rihanna’s last full-length release, ‘Anti,’ dropped in 2016. Since then, the new mother has expanded her brand as a successful businesswoman and has become a billionaire thanks to her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty and lingerie line Savage x Fenty.

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[VIA]