Rihanna returns to music with new song in 'Black Panther' sequel

LOS ANGELES: Good news for Rihanna fans! After a long hiatus from music, Rihanna finally announced her song.

Rihanna is returning to music with ‘Lift Me Up,’ the opening single from Marvel’s blockbuster sequel ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’

The song is an homage to Chadwick Boseman’s life and legacy. The song will be out on October 28, much before the film releases on November 11.

Rihanna teased the song’s melodious hum on social media, but little else is known about the song’s style and sound. Check it out:

According to Variety, Tems, who has written the song, 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.”

“Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor,” he added.

As per Variety, Rihanna’s Westbury Road label will release ‘Lift Me Up’ in collaboration with Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records.

The rest of the soundtrack for the film, which will be released on November 4, is still unknown.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s follow-up to his 2018 film that became a cultural touchstone and earned a best picture nomination at the Oscars.

He wrote a sequel for ‘Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman, but the actor died in 2020 after privately battling colon cancer. So, the filmmaker got to work on how to move forward while honoring Boseman’s legacy.

The star cast of ‘Wakanda Forever’ includes Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, and Winston Duke, as well as Marvel newcomer Tenoch Huerta as Namor.

The film will introduce Riri Williams, the teenage genius who becomes the hero ‘Ironheart’. ‘Wakanda Forever’ is due to hit theatres on November 11 in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.