Although most of us have to wait until Nov. 11 to see the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Hollywood showed out last night at the premiere. Marvel has been teasing several trailers for the film and yesterday (Oct. 26) they confirmed that Rihanna return to music will be part of the film. Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” which is due to drop tomorrow, has led to even more excitement.
“Lift Me Up” was written by Tems, Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, and Panther director Ryan Coogler. The track is RiRi’s first solo single since 2016’s “Love on the Brain.” The song is a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman who played T’Challa in the first film.
“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,” said Tems in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
Marvel first teased Rihanna’s potential involvement on their Instagram Wednesday (Oct. 26). In the clip, Wakanda Forever’s “Forever” begins to fade into the background with the “R” remaining alongside the date “10-28-22” plastered below. Rihanna commented under the cryptic post with a heart emoji and the cross-arm emoji symbolizing Wakanda’s greeting.
Rihanna later confirmed her involvement by reposting the video. “Lift Me Up” will be out Friday (Oct. 28).
As for the film, the latest trailer released shows Namor of the Talocan kingdom making his Marvel Cinematic debut and what fans presume to be Shuri taking on the mantle of her late brother.
Here are some moments captured on social media from the premiere’s “purple carpet”:
