​Rihanna releases first solo track in six years, ‘Lift Me Up’

Rihanna has released her first solo track in some six years, titled ‘Lift Me Up’.

The single was confirmed last week by Rihanna, who posted a short clip of the new track on social media alongside the title and date of release - October 28, 2022.

The 14-second clip was emblazoned with the letter R in the same styling as Marvel’s Black Panther, hinting that the track could be linked to the brand-new film coming this November.

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‘Lift Me Up’ has now been confirmed to be part of the forthcoming Marvel film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, hitting cinemas on November 11. The track was made as a tribute to the late Black Panther advert Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020.

Co-written alongside Tems and Ludwig Göransson, as well as the film’s director Ryan Coogler, ’Lift Me Up’ is said to be an ode to loss and grief. Listen below.

Speaking in a press release, Tems explained that “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.

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

Ludwig Göransson's original score for the new Marvel film will be released on the day of the movie’s premiere, on November 11.

The single is Rihanna’s first solo release in more than six years. Her last solo work came in 2016 with the release of her eighth studio album, ‘Anti’. Since then, the Barbadian singer has only released a handful of collaborative tracks.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter