Rihanna is back with a new song, ‘Lift Me Up’, her first track as lead artist in six years. It leads the soundtrack to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which arrives on November 4; the film hits theaters a week later, on November 11. ‘Lift Me Up’ was written with Tems, producer Ludwig Göransson, and the movie’s director, Ryan Coogler, as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Check it out below.
In a 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.” She added, “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
Last month, Rihanna announced that she would perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. ‘Lift Me Up’ marks her first new solo song since ‘Sledgehammer’, which was released as part of the Star Trek Beyond soundtrack in 2016, the same year her most recent album ANTI came out. She’s since hopped on tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Future, DJ Khaled, N.E.R.D, and PartyNextDoor.
