Marvel is pulling out all the stops for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ahead of its Nov. 11 premiere.
The highly anticipated sequel shut down San Diego Comic-Con on July 23 as the cast and director Ryan Coogler unveiled the movie’s first teaser trailer — set to a beautiful cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry,” sung by Tems, mixed with Kendrick Lamar‘s famous “Alright” anthem. But the film’s soundtrack is even more star studded now that Rihanna has officially confirmed she’s recorded a song for it!
On Oct. 26, the “Anti” singer shared a clip on social media teasing a 14-second snippet of her soon-to-be released song, “Lift Me Up,” set to drop on Oct. 28. According to Walt Disney Studios, the song, produced by Ludwig Göransson, was “written as a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman” by Rihanna, Tems, Coogler, and Göransson.
“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,” Tems said in a press release. “I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them. Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
The forthcoming track will kick off Rihanna’s return to music and the next era of her iconic career — which already includes eight solo albums, with her R9 project still on the way. Rihanna released her last album, “Anti,” in 2016, followed by collaborations including 2017’s “Lemon” with N.E.R.D. and “Believe It” from PartyNextDoor’s “PartyMobile” album in 2020.
Along with the first few glimpses of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Marvel has already released three tracks from the prologue soundtrack, including Tems’s cover and additional songs by Amaarae and Santa Fe Klan. There’s still no word on who produced the full soundtrack, although fans are hopeful Lamar and his former label head Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith will return to work their magic just like they did for the first “Black Panther” film. Ahead, listen to all the music featured on the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack so far.