By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent
Rihanna has made her triumphant return to the music scene with the release of new single Lift Me Up.
The new track has been recorded for the upcoming Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, which is due to hit theatres on November 11th.
The 34-year-old Barbadian singer last released solo music in 2016 with her eighth studio album Anti.
The song features a stripped back melody, with delicate strings that underplay Rihanna’s soulful vocals.
“Lift me up, hold me down, keep me close, safe and sound,” she sings.
“Hold me when you go to sleep, keep me in the warmth of your love when you depart, keep me safe and sound.”
The song swells with melancholy and the singer is accompanied by a subtle backing choir.
Lift Me Up – From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, was released with an accompanying instrumental track.
Rihanna shared a simple tweet announcing the song's release, with the hashtag #LiftMeUp.
Rihanna previously shared a teaser for the clip, which showed a large silver “R” flanked by sentences in the fictional Wakandan alphabet, with a translation of “Rihanna” and “Lift Me Up’” appearing underneath.
The film’s director Ryan Coogler previously said Rihanna had been “very clear” that her attachment to the project had been in honour of its late star Chadwick Boseman.
“Honestly, I think it was Chad,” the 36-year-old said on the red carpet of the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles.
#LiftMeUp https://t.co/QX66x4obas
— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 28, 2022
“A lot of improbable things needed to happen for it to come through and Rihanna was very clear that she did that for him.”
Rihanna, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, moved to the US in 2005 to pursue a career in music.
She signed with Jay-Z’s Def Jam Recordings and released her debut album, Music Of The Sun that same year.
The single reached number two in the UK charts, while the album sold more than two million copies around the world.
To date she has released seven more studio albums; A Girl like Me (2006), Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), Unapologetic (2012) and Anti (2016).
Her status as a pop superstar was cemented with the release of her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, which reached number one in the UK album charts thanks to the singles Don’t Stop The Music, Shut Up And Drive, and Umbrella.
Rated R, the first album released after her controversial relationship with Chris Brown, marked a musical departure for the singer, moving away from her pop-heavy previous efforts, and featured the singles Rude Boy and Te Amo.
Last month the singer, who welcomed her first child with rapper boyfriend ASAP Rocky earlier this year, also revealed she will be performing at the next Super Bowl halftime show.
The performance will be the star’s first major live performance in many years.
Speaking to American news outlet TMZ shortly after the news of the performance was announced, Rihanna reportedly said: “I’m nervous… but I’m excited”.
In the years since the release of Grammy-nominated Anti, the singer has been focusing on her philanthropic efforts, acting roles and her businesses, which include makeup and skin care brand Fenty Beauty as well as her lingerie line, Savage X Fenty.
In 2019, Rihanna declined to perform in the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show out of solidarity with former US football player Colin Kaepernick.
