For the first time in nearly seven years, Rihanna is helping usher in a New Music Friday!
The nine-time Grammy Award winner, 34, released her new song "Lift Me Up" at midnight on Friday, her first new solo music since the 2016 album Anti.
"Lift me up/Hold me down/Keep me close/Safe and sound," Rihanna sings in the chorus.
The song is featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, and serves as a tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star died of colon cancer in August 2020 at age 43.
"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," Tems, who co-wrote the track with Rihanna, Ludwig Göransson and director Ryan Coogler, said in a press release. "Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor."
Rihanna teased the track several times earlier in the week, and on Thursday, announced its release date alongside a black-and-white portrait.
She and boyfriend A$AP Rocky stepped out days before the song's release for date night at the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday. It was the first red carpet appearance for the couple since they welcomed their first child together, a son, in May.
"Lift Me Up" is a long time coming for fans of the Fenty Beauty founder, who have not heard any new solo music from the star since Anti, her eighth studio album. She did, however, pop up on the PARTYNEXTDOOR song "Believe It" in 2020, and also featured on the N.E.R.D. song "Lemon" in 2017.
The "Work" singer told Vogue in May that she still considers Anti her "best album to this day," and is not looking to compete with it as she works on new music.
"I'm looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before. I think this way suits me better, a lot better," she said. "It's authentic, it'll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off."
Though it remains to be seen what else Rihanna has up her sleeve, the star is set to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show early next year.
"Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment," JAY-Z, who previously signed a deal with the NFL to head the league's musical entertainment, said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Not long after the announcement, Rihanna was spotted heading to a music studio in New York City.
