Rihanna Releases Tems Co-Written 'Wakanda Forever' Anthem "Lift Me Up"
Tems wrote the song as a tribute to the legacy of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T'Challain the previous installment of 'Black Panther.'
Tems performs on Day 3 of the Great Escape Festival
Rihanna recently released the highly-anticipated anthem for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The record, which is titled "Lift Me Up," serves as the lead single for the film, which made its worldwide premiere on October 26, and is scheduled to officially be released in the United States on November 11, 2022. Nigerian singer Tems was included as a co-writer on the soundtrack, and fans were quick to notice her influence on the track. The song is a tribute to the legacy of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T'Challain the previous installment of the movie but passed away after battling colon cancer. The record, written by Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, and Ryan Coogler, was recorded in five countries.
While discussing the song, Tems said that she wanted to write the song as though she was talking to the people she had lost to death.
"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," said Tems. "Rihanna has been an inspiration to me, so hearing her convey this song is a great honor."
The Nigerian singer has continued to become well-known and following her success at becoming the first Nigerian artist to ever debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 list, she has continued to gain momentum as one of Africa's fast-rising stars.
Below are some social media reactions to the song
\u201cTems is destined for greatness. Writing for and featuring on both a Beyonc\u00e9 and a Rihanna song in the same year? I wish her nothing but the best.\u201d— \ud83c\udf99 (@\ud83c\udf99) 1666960932
\u201cTems DNA is ALL OVER this song.\u201d— Waiting To Oxtail (@Waiting To Oxtail) 1666930200
\u201cTems is written all over that Rihanna\u2019s Lift Me Up song. Her unique style or pattern of singing is nearly impossible to be unnoticed.\u201d— OLAMIDE \ud83c\udf38\ud83d\udc96 (@OLAMIDE \ud83c\udf38\ud83d\udc96) 1666938810
\u201cTems co-wrote Rihanna\u2019s new song. I don\u2019t know but I feel we need to make more noise about this. Queen Nigeria \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddec\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— TIFE\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udf1a (@TIFE\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udf1a) 1666939709
\u201cSo Tems co-wrote that Rihanna's new song, y'all should respect that babe she dey try.\u201d— Steady Boy\ud83e\udd0d (@Steady Boy\ud83e\udd0d) 1666964466
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which had its worldwide premiere on Wednesday, October 26, is perhaps the year's most highly anticipated film. The sequel will show Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from opposing forces in the wake of King T'Challa's death.
Although several original cast members of the movie will remain to carry on the storyline, the franchise will introduce new characters to the story who will also add to the rollout of the overall movie.
The song "Lift Me Up" was released by Westbury Road label in partnership with Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records. Listen to the record below.
This article was updated on October 28, 2022.
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