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Rihanna fans have celebrated the star's first new song for six years, in which she pays tribute to late actor Chadwick Boseman.
The Barbadian singer, 34, released "Lift Me Up" from the new Marvel film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the follow-up film to 2018's record-breaking Black Panther.
Rihanna dropped the track on Friday at midnight, just hours after attending the Wakanda Forever premiere with her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky, also 34.
"Lift Me Up" is a soaring ballad, which shows off Rihanna's matured vocal style, and is her first new music since her 2016 album, Anti.
Rihanna said the song serves as "a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman," who starred as T'Challa and became the Black Panther in the original film and a number of other Marvel titles.
Boseman died at the age of 43 in September 2020 after a secret battle with colon cancer.
Rihanna also teased a music video for the track, which shows her staring into the camera while standing on a beach, interspersed with scenes from Wakanda Forever.
The scenes showed T'Challa's sister Shuri grieving and Wakanda dancers performing at a ceremony, presumably for his funeral. This is perhaps the point in the film where "Lift Me Up" will be played, but some reports said it will feature over the final credits.
??♀️… pic.twitter.com/AgWyzAtc1F
— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 28, 2022
The song was co-written by the film's director Ryan Coogler, along with Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems and producer Ludwig Göransson.
Coogler said he chose Rihanna to record a song for the soundtrack because he was "looking for artists who would embody [the film] thematically" and "Rihanna was at the top of that list."
"We were taking a different musical approach with the film... we were looking to have actual songs incorporated into the score throughout the film," he told Hollywood Reporter.
Rihanna's fans reacted positively to the new song and celebrated the businesswoman's return to music.
"Rihanna's voice has matured and turned so rich ?!!!!! Okay mama NOW I need solo new Rihanna no soundtrack attach to it. BAD GAL RIRI," wrote one fan on Twitter.
Another tweeted: "didn't realize how much i missed hearing rihanna's voice and new music from her until it all hit me when i pressed play on lift me up."
Rihanna attended the world premiere of Wakanda Forever in Los Angeles on Thursday where she gave a public display of affection with A$AP Rocky.
In May, the pair welcomed their first child, a son yet to be publicly named, and they have been dating for around two years.
It's been a big month for Rihanna, who also revealed she will be performing the half-time Super Bowl show in 2023.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever debuts in cinemas on Friday, November 11, 2022.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more