Rihanna releases her new single 'Lift Me Up'

Rihanna has returned to music with her first single in over six years. Her new song, 'Lift Me Up', is part of the soundtrack for the upcoming 'Marvel' film, 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'. The song, which talks about loss and growth, is a stirring tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who starred as the titular character in the first 'Black Panther' film.

Rihanna debuted the song on 'YouTube' and 'Spotify' recently. There is no video accompanying the song yet, but the singer did share a short 34-second teaser video that features scenes from the film and herself on a beach as the song plays in the background. The song is meant to be from the point of view of someone who has lost someone close in their life. In the film, it is meant as the Wakandans' mourning for King T'Challa (Chadwick), while the obvious real-life parallel is for the actor himself. Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 at the age of 42 after a long battle with cancer.

The song was written by Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, Rihanna, top film composer Ludwig Goransson and director Ryan Coogler, with vocals by Rihanna. In a statement, songwriter Tems said, "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. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them."

The song is reportedly one of the two tracks on the soundtrack of the film, with the other also recorded by Rihanna. But no details have been revealed as of now. 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is part of the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4' and will be released in theatres on November 11.