Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Thursday. This will be the Grammy Award-winning pop star’s first time performing at the Oscars.
“Lift Me Up” was nominated for Best Original Song—marking another first for the pop star. “Wakanda Forever” director Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian singer Tems are credited in the single, which reached no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 last November.
It was also Rihanna’s first release after a near-six-year absence, and her Oscars performance will be the first time she’s performed during an awards show since the 2018 Grammys.
“‘Lift Me Up’ is a song that holds great meaning to us as it was written as a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of our friend, the late Chadwick Boseman and his influence on this film,” Göransson said in a statement. Boseman, known for his role as King T’Challa in Marvel’s “Black Panther,” died in 2020 after a four-year battle with cancer.
“It was an honor to work with these incredible musicians in crafting a song for our film and for our friend,” Coogler said in a statement after the nomination. “It was meant to be a tribute to love and the specter of loss, and I couldn’t be happier that it is being recognized.”
The movie earned five nominations in total, including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Angela Bassett, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects.
The news comes just weeks after she delivered an Internet-shattering performance during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show.
Wearing a bright-red ensemble, Rihanna’s 13-minute solo performance was the first time she had performed on stage in nearly seven years. She also set the Twitterverse a-buzzing after showing off what looked like a baby bump during the performance of her song “B**** Better Have My Money.”
The singer’s representative later confirmed to CBS News that Rihanna is pregnant with baby no. 2, Rihanna welcome her first child with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, in May.
The single is up against “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR,” and “This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere”. All at once.”
The Academy Awards show is set for Sunday, March 12.
