It’s difficult to quantify which impending return is more momentous: the return of the Black Panther film franchise or the return of Rihanna. Whichever side you may choose though is pretty much irrelevant, considering both events practically happened simultaneously.
After Marvel officially announced earlier this week that Rihanna would end her six-year hiatus from releasing music, she finally dropped new single “Lift Me Up” on Oct. 28, which will be used for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack on Friday (Oct. 28).
In the midst of a night that featured a slew of high-profile releases such as Smino, SZA, Juice WRLD and more, Rihanna’s long-awaited comeback will easily be the most talked about.
With the film set to release on November 11, it is unclear if Marvel will flesh out an entire project of original music for the movie as they did with their first Black Panther film in 2018. Either way, it is clear that the BP series does not mess around when it comes to recruiting superstars to soundtrack their flicks, considering Kendrick Lamar gathered an elite roster of TDE members and R&B titans for the last movie’s music.
Last week, Hits Daily Double reported that Rih had made two songs for the Wakanda Forever soundtrack. So, while only one single came out on Friday, there is potential for more Rihanna songs to be attached to the new BP movie.
This release comes exactly one month after Rihanna announced that she would be headlining the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Although she has yet to begin rolling out the upcoming album she’s discussed multiple times in the last few years, Rih’s plans for her new era are beginning to materialize.
“Bad Girl Riri” is back in her bag, gracefully honoring the passing of former Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman in the process. As just the beginning to her return to pop dominance, “Lift Me Up” is a fitting re-introduction.
Check out Rihanna’s brand new single below!
