Watch: Rihanna's first single in 6 years 'Lift Me Up' tribute to Chadwick Boseman

Los Angeles, October 28

Rihanna dropped her first single in six years on Thursday night: ‘Lift Me Up’, the first track to emerge from Marvel’s blockbuster sequel ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, reports ‘Variety’.

A tribute to the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman, the song was written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Rihanna, top film composer Ludwig Goransson and director Ryan Coogler. It is one of two songs from the film, which premieres in theatres on November 11.

Here’s a glimpse of the song shared by Rihanna:

Few other details have been released about the song, or the soundtrack album that Rihanna is said to be curating in a manner similar to the way Kendrick Lamar helmed the first film’s album.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

Rihanna has made just a handful of featured appearances in the years since her last album, 2016’s ‘Anti’ — most notably features on N.E.R.D.’s ‘Lemon’, which she briefly performed with Pharrell at her Diamond Ball in New York in 2019; Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Loyalty’ and Future’s ‘Selfish’ — yet in February she will be the halftime performer on the world’s largest stage for a musician, the Super Bowl, notes ‘Variety’.

There has been talk for years about her working on two different albums, one a dancehall-leaning set, but she has provided virtually no details and no music has materialised or leaked.

IANS