Rihanna Releases New Song 'Lift Me Up' In 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' OST

The wait is over for Rihanna fans, as she releases a new single nearly seven years after her 2016 album, "Anti." The nine-time Grammy Award winner's new song is "Lift Me Up" and serves as an OST in the upcoming Marvel movie, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

It's also a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, and as Rihanna croons, "Lift me up/Hold me down/Keep me close/Safe and sound", fans get goosebumps, remembering all that Boseman stood for. Scroll down for a listen.

Rihanna's last album, the one she calls her best work ever was the masterpiece "Anti" released in 2016, featuring collaborations with DJ Khaled and N.E.R.D. Since then, Rihanna has kept rather busy, even reaching billionaire status after expanding her Fenty Beauty empire and Savage X Fenty lingerie business.

She also made her relationship with A$AP Rocky official, and the long-time friends and now couple became parents to a baby boy in May. Clearly, she's had a ton on her plate.

In the last few weeks, there were subtle hints of her impending return. First, Rihanna was announced to be the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, leaving fans wondering, is there new music coming up?

Then, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" promos went online, and viral, with the letter "R", suggesting RiRi's musical involvement in the much-awaited sequel that is sure to be a tear-jerker for all those who remember Chadwick Boseman.

Sure enough, Rihanna's new song with its trance-like humming breaks out goosebumps, as does her stunning appearance at the premiere of the movie.

The original star of "Black Panther", Chadwick Boseman, died of colon cancer in August 2020 at age 43, leaving fans, friends, and family bereft.

The same stars of the first movie are in the sequel, the upcoming "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and have described production without Boseman as a rather surreal take.

"Lift Me Up" is designed as a tribute to Boseman, and is an emotional ballad written by Rihanna, Tems, Oscar-winning composer of "Black Panther" Ludwig Göransson, and director Ryan Coogler. The song was recorded in five countries and produced by Göransson too. In a press release, 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." He also added, "Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor."

Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with Vogue, Rihanna said, '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."

With a Superbowl Halftime on her 2023 calendar, it will be interesting to see what else Rihanna has up her sleeve.

Rihanna's fans on Instagram could not contain their enthusiasm for her new vocals, with comments like:

"Literally fanning out."

"I thought I would never see this moment again in my life!"

"My prayers have been ANSWERED."

Scroll down to see if the song answers all your musical prayers.

Clearly, the Rihanna-led single is like to catapult "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" into top listening streams as well, much like the first movie. At the time, when "Black Panther" was released in 2018, Kendrick Lamar composed and curated songs for the OST, along with artists like SZA, The Weeknd, Anderson, Paak, 2 Chainz, and Jorja Smith.

Rihanna's “Lift Me Up” is much-awaited by Rihanna fans, of course, but it just may be the first of many more stellar original songs to come, in the highly-anticipated sequel. As far as Rihanna fans go, there might be even happier news to come, as some critics have spotted another of her song, "Born Again" that plays in the credits.

Have a listen!

https://open.spotify.com/track/35ovElsgyAtQwYPYnZJECg