Rihanna not only released her first song in six years, “Lift Me Up,” she also followed up with its music video on Friday.
The clip features Rihanna standing before a bonfire on the beach as the sun sets over the tranquil ocean. Interspersed between Rihanna performing the song are clips from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Each scene shows one of the main characters looking solemn, starting with Letitia Wright‘s Shuri at what appears to be a celebration of life. Another scene shows Angela Bassett‘s Queen Ramonda sitting at her throne as Danai Gurira’s Okoye cries, while the final glimpse is of Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia wearing armor and staring at the ocean.
“Lift Me Up” is the lead single off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Music From and Inspired By soundtrack. The track is also a tribute and send-off to Chadwick Boseman, who starred as T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Boseman died in 2020 after a silent battle with colon cancer at age 43.
Rihanna penned the track alongside Nigerian artist Tems, Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson and director Ryan Coogler.
Tems spoke about the track’s significance in a Wednesday statement: “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.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens November 11 from Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.
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