Rihanna’s Black Panther single “Lift Me Up” is finally here

It’s been six long years since Rihanna blessed the world with new solo music for Star Trek Beyond, of all things, but the wait’s finally over with “Lift Me Up,” an original song from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s forthcoming soundtrack.

Co-written by Rihanna, Tems, Ryan Coogler, and producer Ludwig Göransson, “Lift Me Up” is both a moving ballad and a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, star of the first Black Panther film who passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 following a battle with colon cancer. In a press release about the song, Tems said that she wanted it to feel like a “warm embrace” to all the loved ones she’s lost personally — a theme present throughout Wakanda Forever.

“I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them,” she said. “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”

Though “Lift Me Up” is a marked shift away from Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All The Stars” single that led the first Black Panther’s soundtrack, it’s a fitting one, and the song feels very indicative of just how sentimental Wakanda Forever’s going to have people feeling when it hits theaters on November 11th.