Rihanna fans ‘in tears’ over ‘Lift Me Up’, her first song in six years

Song is a tribute to ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020

Rihanna fans are praising the artist over her first new single in six years.

The singer, 34, released “Lift Me Up” on Friday (28 October) as part of the Black Panther: Wakana Forever soundtrack.

The emotive ballad is a tribute to original Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer in 2020, with lyrics written by Nigerian artist Tems.

“Didn’t realize how much I missed hearing Rihanna’s voice and new music from her until it all hit me when I pressed play on ‘Lift Me Up’,” wrote one fan.

“‘Lift Me Up’ is incredible, I have chills and tears in my eyes,” shared another.

One fan said: “Rihanna puts so much of herself into everything she does and her soul always shines through the most in her music. ‘Lift Me Up’ is such a perfect introduction to Rih in her thirties.”

“I am in tears y’all, I love Rihanna so f**king much and she’s made me so proud with this song! You can hear such growth in her vocally, I’ve missed her,” shared another.

Rihanna has not released new music since 2016, when she released her Grammy-nominated album Anti. Her return comes ahead of her headline performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show next February.

The new song was co-written by Rihanna and Tems, along with producer Ludwig Göransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

On Twitter, fans are also celebrating Tems – known for her collaboration “Essence” with Wizkid and single “Free Mind” – for her work on the song.

“You can hear Tems all over Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’. Not surprised she co-wrote this - her growth is EVERYTHING,” shared one fan.

“Tems snapped with the pen and Rihanna handled the rest,” wrote another.

Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020, aged 43 (Ian West/PA) (PA Archive)

Tems said she wanted it to be a “warm embrace” about grief and loss.

“After speaking with Ryan [Coogler] 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,” she said in a statement.

“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 honour.”

The highly-anticipated Black Panther sequel is a “powerful” and “beautiful” tribute to Boseman, early critical reviews have said.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be in cinemas on 11 November.