Rihanna: when is new song Lift Me Up out, is it for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, film release date

The singer has not released any music since her Grammy-nominated album ‘Anti’ in 2016
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It’s official, Rihanna is back. The “Umbrella” singer will be releasing her first song in six years “Lift Me Up”, which will feature in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

The song, which will be a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman was co written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Ludwig Van Göransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

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Rihanna attended the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever world premiere in Hollywood last night (26 October), with Marvel announcing the news of her upcoming single on social media.

Here’s everything you need to know about Rihanna’s new song and when it will be released.

Has Rihanna announced a new song?

The “Umbrella” singer has announced that she will be releasing her first single in six years, “Lift Me Up”, which will feature in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

The news was announced by Marvel on social media, who shared a 14-second video confirming Rihanna’s upcoming single on Twitter. In the clip, we see the title of the film, followed by the letter “R” and the date 28 October, 2022.

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Rihanna confirmed the news by posting the video to her Twitter account, including the caption “lift me up 10.28.22”.

“Lift Me Up” is Rihanna’s first single in six years, the singer has been on a break since 2016 when she released her Grammy-nominated album “Anti”. During that time she has been building her beauty brand Fenty and lingerie brand Savage X Fenty.

When will it be released?

Rihanna’s new single “Lift Me Up” will be released this week on Friday 28 October.

Will it feature in Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever?

The single will feature in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack and was written as a tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman, who played the role of T’Challa in the first Black Panther movie. Boseman passed away from colon cancer in August 2020.

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The song has been co written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Ludwig Van Göransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

Reported by the Independent, Tems reflected on writing the song in an interview, she said: “After speaking with Ryan (Coogler, director) 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 honour.”

What has the reaction been?

Rihanna fans have taken to Twitter to share their excitement at the singer’s first single in six years with the hashtag #RihannaIsBack trending. Brands have also got into the spirit, with Rihanna’s makeup brand Fenty commenting under the singer’s Twitter post “Rihanna reigns Wakanda forever” and MTV responding to the news by tweeting: “I SURVIVED THE RIHANNA MUSIC DROUGHT OF THE 2010s-2020s”.

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Whilst others shared photos of Rihanna attending the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever world premiere.

When is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever coming out?

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 11 November, 2022.

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