Rihanna fans know it best: The international superstar’s comeback has been highly anticipated, since the singer hasn’t worked on a new album for over six years. And even though a new album hasn’t been officially announced, at least in 2022 we got to hear her sing in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s end-credits song “Lift Me Up.” And we have filmmaker Ryan Coogler to thank for that.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the director revealed that, for a while, whenever he contacted Rihanna’s team he got the answer that fans got more than used to hearing: “She’s not really doing music, but let’s stay in touch.” Having to move on, Coogler wrote the lyrics for the chorus of “Lift Me Up”, which was composed by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Ludwig Goränsson. Coogler’s lyrics reflect not only the pain of losing franchise star Chadwick Boseman, but also the responsibilities of being a parent – which represents Angela Bassett’s role of Queen Ramonda and the character’s job to help her surviving child to carry on without her brother.
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Trailer Spoke to Rihanna
The first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer was the game-changer: After seeing it, Rihanna decided that after her sabbatical to focus on being a mother, she was ready to “come up for air”, and wanted to be a part of the soundtrack. So, the singer-songwriter collaborated with the lyrics by offering her own contributions about the experience of being a parent. Coogler reveals it was pretty easy to see how Rihanna has changed:
“It’s her experience with loss in there, and her being a mother. She’s a new person now. [Parenthood] changes you to your core. I hear it in her voice. It’s her, but it’s a new her.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Inspired Rihanna to Collaborate on Two Songs
Aside from “Lift Me Up”, Rihanna also collaborated in another song for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. “Born Again” is also a contemplative ballad that reflects the core of the story. Rihanna co-wrote the lyrics for "Born Again" along with James Fauntleroy, Göransson, and The Dream. Rihanna will be seen next on February 12, when she will perform at the Superbowl Halftime Show – but she’s already told fans to calm down, because so far there isn’t a new album on the horizon.
On top of writing songs and directing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ryan Coogler also co-wrote the script and produced the movie. The cast features Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Tenoch Huerta as super-villain Namor, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams/Ironheart, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, and Michaela Coel as Aneka.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now in theaters. You can watch the music video for “Lift Me Up” below: