At long last, CEO and music creative Robyn Rihanna Fenty has announced official plans for a new song, her first as a lead artist since 2016. Titled “Lift Me Up,” the single will be featured on the soundtrack for Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack will release on November 4, 2022. Rihanna’s new single is slated to drop on October 28th.
A tribute to the “extraordinary life and legacy” of actor Chadwick Boseman, the single was co-written by Nigerian artist Tems (real name Temilade Openiyi), along with Rihanna, producer Ludwig Göransson, and director Ryan Coogler. Chadwick, who died from cancer in 2020 at the age of 43, was the star of the first Black Panther film.
In a press statement, Tems said, “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.”
“Lift Me Up” is Rihanna’s first new solo song since the 2016 Star Trek Beyond track “Sledgehammer.” Since then, the 34-year-old CEO has been featured on songs with “Selfish” with Future, “Lemon” with N.E.R.D., “Wild Thoughts” with DJ Khaled, “Loyalty” with Kendrick Lamar and “Believe It” with PartyNextDoor. Recently, she appeared in A$AP Rocky‘s “D.M.B.” video.
