She’s back! Rihanna released a preview of her new song before the tribute track — dedicated to the late Chadwick Boseman — releases in full on Friday, October 28.
The singer, 34, simply tweeted out the song title, “Lift Me Up,” and release date, but it’s the 14-second preview that has fans buzzing. First, an “R” appears on screen in a font matching the style of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever posters — fitting since this is from the soundtrack for the Marvel movie. Then, Rihanna’s name appears in Wakandan hieroglyphs before her name appears in English. The same happens on the other side of the “R” emblem with the “Lift Me Up” title.
lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022
The audio only features some haunting humming, but any snippet of music is big news for a star who hasn’t released any solo music since her eighth album, Anti, dropped in 2016.
“Lift Me Up” was “written as a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman,” according to a press release. Rihanna wrote the track with Tems, composer Ludwig Göransson and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. The song was recorded in five countries and produced by Göransson.
Boseman, who played T’Challa/Black Panther in four Marvel Studios movies, died of colon cancer in 2020. He was 43. The upcoming Black Panther sequel, in theaters November 11, will show the fictional characters grieving his death as well. Grief inspired the song.
Tems, 27, said in a statement: “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.”
Rihanna’s new single comes ahead of her gig at Super Bowl LVII. She’ll play the halftime show at the big game on February 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, at State Farm Stadium. The “Disturbia” songstress announced the news in September with a simple photo via Instagram that showed what appeared to be her tattooed hand holding up an NFL-branded football.
The Super Bowl is currently set to be her first major performance since giving birth to a baby boy in May. She shares her son, whose name has not yet been announced, with ASAP Rocky.
“They rarely leave their baby’s side,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly of the new parents in August. “They’re being very private about their newborn out of concern for his safety and really just want to keep him away from the public eye for the time being. … They both feel really blessed and couldn’t be happier.”
