It’s official: Rihanna is making her long-awaited debut in music with “Lift Me Up,” the lead single from Marvel’s blockbuster sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
The song, a tribute to Chadwick Boseman’s life and legacy was written by Thames, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, and director Ryan Coogler. It will be released on Friday, October 28, before the film premieres in theaters on November 11. Rihanna briefly teased the song’s melodic hum on social media, but little is known about the style and sound of “Lift Me UP.”
lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022
“After talking to Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that would evoke a warm embrace from all the people I’ve lost in my life. I tried to imagine it. Done. Now sing to her and express how much I miss her, how it would feel.” “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so it’s an honor to hear her singing this song.”
Rihanna’s own Westbury Road label is releasing “Lift Me Up” in partnership with Rock Nation, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records. Details about the rest of the film’s soundtrack, which will be available on November 4, are unclear.
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The release marks Rihanna’s first solo music since her album “Anti” in 2016
As for Marvel, to collaborate with Rihanna — a press release said the song “enters the next era of Rihanna’s iconic career” — Kendrick Lamar wrote “All the Stars” for the original “Black Panther.” For and after stopping SZA. Another big coup. The catchy track, which played over the film’s end credits, earned an Oscar nomination for original song, in addition to several Grammy nominations. (It’s unclear when “Lift Me Up” will appear in the sequel.) The first “Black Panther” soundtrack featured music from Schoolboy Q, Vince Staples, Jorja Smith, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and Khalid, while Its original score was Gornson by which is created.
Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the original “Black Panther,” died of colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. The follow-up film focuses on the leaders of Wakanda as they grapple with the death of their ruler and fight to save their country from the intervention of world powers. Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, and Winston Duke co-star in the film.
Like the original, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is expected to be another box office hit. Based on early estimates, the film is expected to gross at least $175 million in its opening weekend, making it one of the biggest openings of the year. In 2018, the original “Black Panther” became an instant success, opening to $202 million and eventually grossing $700.4 million domestically and $1.3 billion globally. The sequel is likely to cross $1 billion at the worldwide box office as well.
In addition to commercial funding, “Black Panther” became the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. Although it lost the top prize to “Green Book,” it won Oscars for costume design, score, and production design.
The news adds to Rihanna’s spectacular return to music, which will continue when she performs at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in February 2023. It’s been more than half a decade since Rihanna’s last full-length release, “Anti,” dropped in 2016. Then, the new mom expanded her repertoire as a successful businesswoman and billionaire for her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty and lingerie line Savage x Fenty.
His halftime show appearance was a surprise to many due to his huge songwriting gap. However, she has made vague comments about two different albums over the years (and has been photographed coming in and out of the recording studio), one described as dancehall-adjacent. Still, any details about a full-length, solo Rihanna studio album are scarce.
More recently, Rihanna is gearing up for her fourth annual Savage x Fenty fashion show with Anita, Burna Boy, Don Tolliver, and Maxwell performing. The event will premiere exclusively via Prime Video featuring more bold-faced names such as Angela Aguilar, Avni Gregg, Bella Porch, Cara Delevingne, and more.
