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Rihanna made her comeback to music after six years of hiatus with the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Lift Me Up, released Friday, October 28th.
The song is a tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman who played the titular Black Panther/King T’Challa. Boseman, who died of colon cancer in 2020 at age 43, had been diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and had battled it privately for four years as it progressed to stage IV. The late actor left an indelible mark in Hollywood after his portrayal of the character.
Contrary to the song’s downtempo, Rihanna’s powerful vocals and lyrics make the soundtrack uplifting. The sombre track flows over delicate keys and notes and a gentle backing choir.
Fans received the much-anticipated ballad with praise and warmth:
Before anything else, fans were just excited to hear Rihanna sing again
The emotional tribute had many people shedding tears
One even wrote that the song had brought them ‘love’ and ‘joy’
Another added that this was all that they needed:
Lift Me Up is co-written by Rihanna, Coogler and Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, who previously worked with Drake, Justin Bieber, Future, Wizkid, Beyonce and Khalid. The song is produced and co-written by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, who scored the first Black Panther film as well as Creed, Venom and Tenet, per BBC.
Lift Me Up is the first solo single from Rihanna since the release of her album Anti in 2016.
Watch the music video here: