Rihanna to Release Her First New Song In Six Years This Week

October 27, 2022

Rihanna‘s first new single in six years will arrive this week as part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. ‘Lift Me Up’ will be released tomorrow (28th October), marking the Barbadian pop star’s first new music as a lead artist since her 2016 album Anti. Rihanna announced the song earlier today with a teaser clip revealing its title, release date and a snippet of the track.

‘Lift Me Up’ was written by Rihanna, Nigerian artist Tems, producer Ludwig Göransson and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. According to a press release, it was written as a “tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman”, the Black Panther star who died in 2020 following a battle with cancer.

Listen to a Snippet of Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’ Below

lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj

— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022

“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,” Tems said of the song in a press release. “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 [honour].”

The official Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack will arrive on Friday, 4th November. Göransson’s original score for the film will be released on Friday, 11th November, the same day the film hits cinemas. The official trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is soundtracked by Sampa the Great‘s ‘Never Forget’, a track from the rapper’s latest album As Above, So Below.

Rihanna has featured on several other artists’ tracks since Anti, including Calvins Harris‘ ‘This Is What You Came For’ and ‘Too Good’ with Drake in 2016, Future‘s ‘Selfish’, DJ Khaled‘s ‘Wild Thoughts’ and ‘Loyalty’ with Kendrick Lamar in 2017. The most recent, ‘Believe It’, with PARTYNEXTDOOR, arrived in 2020.

Next year, Rihanna will headline the NFL Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in February, marking her first public performance since appearing at the 2018 Grammy Awards to perform ‘Wild Thoughts’.