She’s back.
The Rihanna Navy — as the pop superstar’s legions of fans are called — is finally about to get new music from its billionaire commander.
On Friday, Rihanna, 34, who has only released the rare collaboration since her 2016 album “Anti,” is coming back in a big way with “Lift Me Up,” the lead single from the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack. The film will be released Nov. 11.
The song — a tribute to the late “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman that was recorded in five countries — was co-written by Rihanna, the film’s director Ryan Coogler, producer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian artist Tems.
“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 I’ve lost in my life,” Tems said 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 missed them.”
A week after rumors started circulating that Rihanna would be getting down with Wakanda, last night Marvel Studios tweeted a “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” promo clip that ended simply with the letter “R” and the date “10.28.22.”
Given that Rihanna’s 2009 fourth studio album was called “Rated R,” it certainly seemed to be a teasing reference to the “Diamonds” singer. And with “Wakanda Forever” due in theaters shortly, “Lift Me Up” arrives at the perfect time to pump up the hype for the much-anticipated sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther” blockbuster.
The first film’s soundtrack was helmed by Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar and featured an all-star cast including The Weeknd, Travis Scott and SZA, who paired up with the album’s curator on the Oscar-nominated hit “All the Stars.” And while it was always going to be hard to top that, having Rihanna go hard for “Wakanda Forever” with her comeback single is a pretty major score.
After giving birth to her son with A$AP Rocky in May — his name has still not been revealed — Rihanna has been plotting her long-awaited return to the pop game. And last month it was announced that she would be the halftime performer at the 2023 Super Bowl.
But while she’s been quiet on the music front, the mogul has been busy with her Fenty Beauty business and Savage x Fenty lingerie line. In fact, her “Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 4” will premiere on Amazon Prime on Nov. 9. On Tuesday, Ri-Ri revealed that the star-studded event will feature performances by Maxwell, Burna Boy and Anitta, as well as appearances by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Taraji P. Henson and Cara Delevingne.
And suddenly, it’s Rihanna season.