At long last, Rihanna has confirmed she will release a new song on Friday.
The Barbadian singer will put out her latest single, Lift Me Up, after a six year wait – her last solo music release was in 2016, with her eighth studio album Anti.
The new track has been recorded for the upcoming Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever.
In a post on social media, the 34-year-old shared what appeared to be a snippet of the new song, featuring a soft melody and swelling strings and a short video clip showing her name spelled in the fictional Wakandan alphabet.
The clip was posted to Twitter with the simple caption: “lift me up. 10.28.22”.
Wakanda Forever’s director said the singer was “very clear” that her attachment to the upcoming Black Panther sequel was in honour of Chadwick Boseman.
Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the original 2018 film, died in 2020 from colon cancer.
Last month Rihanna, who welcomed her first child with rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky earlier this year, also revealed she will be performing at the next Super Bowl halftime show.
The performance will be the star’s first major live performance in many years.
Speaking to American news outlet TMZ shortly after the news of the performance was announced, Rihanna reportedly said: “I’m nervous…but I’m excited”.
In the years since the release of Grammy-nominated Anti, the singer has been focusing on her philanthropic efforts, acting roles and her businesses, which include make up and skin care brand Fenty Beauty as well as her lingerie line, Savage X Fenty.
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