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The wait is finally over. After years of speculation, Rihanna has officially returned to music. Her new single, “Lift Me Up” is from Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly seven years since Rihanna’s dropped her album, ANTI in 2016, and two years since she was featured on PartyNextDoor’s 2020 single, “Believe It.”
“Lift Me Up” was co-written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, and Ryan Coogler, the film’s director. The emotional and beautiful ballad is dedicated to the life and legacy of the late Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020.
The song begins with Rihanna humming the melody before she belts the powerful and sentimental lyrics: “Lift me up/Hold me down/Keep me close/Safe and Sound,” she sings. “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.”
🙅🏾♀️… pic.twitter.com/AgWyzAtc1F
— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 28, 2022
“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,” Tems said about the single in a press release. “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
With Rihanna performing at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show hopefully more music is on the way from the pop icon soon.
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack is set to be released on Nov. 4 with the film premiering in theaters one week later, on Nov. 11.