Music

The Internet Has *A Lot* To Say About Rihanna's “Lift Me Up”

Yes, we finally have new RiRi music.

by Shahed Ezaydi
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Rihanna attends Marvel Studios' "Black Panther 2: Wakanda Foreve...
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

After a long six-year wait, Rihanna fans have new music to celebrate, thanks to the arrival of her “Lift Me Up” song from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. In true Rihanna fashion, the singer started trending on Twitter on Oct. 25, after teasers from the upcoming film were released, indicating that she would be featured on the soundtrack. Fans have been waiting for so long, Twitter data shows that since January 2018, more than 1.4 million tweets have been published from RiRi fans asking for new music.

Rihanna finally granted the public their wish with the lead single from the Black Panther sequel, which honours the late Chadwick Boseman. The celebrated actor, who portrayed T'Challa aka Black Panther in the 2018 Marvel film, died in August 2020 after a battle with colon cancer. A fitting tribute, “Life Me Up” is a slow-building and emotional ballad, with incredible vocals from the Fenty Beauty founder and lyrics co-written by artist Tems. It’s guaranteed to have you in your feelings.

Predictably, the online community is feeling all kinds of emotion over the brand new Rihanna music. Commenting under the song on YouTube, one elated listener wrote: “The Queen is back!” Another said: “Her voice just gives me chills through my body.”

Below, listen to “Lift Me Up” for yourself, and see our top pick of the memes and tweets reacting to the song.