Rihanna Honors the Late Chadwick Boseman With Comeback Single “Lift Me Up”

Barbadian megastar Rihanna ends her music drought by releasing the long-awaited new song “Lift Me Up,” which will feature on the soundtrack of the upcoming Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Speaking to Vogue earlier this year, she revealed, “I’m looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before. I think this way suits me better, a lot better. It’s authentic, it’ll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off.”

“Lift Me Up” was written by Rihanna along with the Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Oscar-winning composer of Black Panther Ludwig Göransson, and director Ryan Coogler. The song pays tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played the role of the Wakandan superhero. The American actor sadly passed away from colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. 

Tems recently talked about what it’s like to have Rihanna interprete “Lift Me Up” and what she hopes for the track to achieve, “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.”

Recorded in five different countries and produced by Göransson, “Lift Me Up” came out via Westbury Road/Roc Nation/Def Jam/Hollywood Records. The Wakanda Forever soundtrack that is produced by Coogler, Göransson, Archie Davis, and Dave Jordan will meet its audience next Friday, November the 4th.

Alongside the official audio and visualizer, Rihanna introduced the instrumental version of the song and the lyric video, “Burning in a hopeless dream/ Hold me when you go to sleep/ Keep me in the warmth of your love when you depart/ Keep me safe/ Safe and sound.” The heart-melting ballad is also accompanied by Wakandan lyrics to keep the Black Panther fans in the spirit of the forthcoming film, which is set to be released November 11th. 

Rihanna teased the music video for “Lift Me Up,” sharing a 30 second teaser of the anticipated visuals. The “Umbrella” singer hasn’t dropped new material ever since her 2016 album Anti. Although she has been hinting at it, there’s no confirmation of a ninth studio album being released anytime soon. But, the multi-grammy award winner will return to perform at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 12, 2023.

Watch the lyric video here: