Rihanna Honors Chadwick Boseman In Powerful Rendition Of 'Lift Me Up'
By Tony M. Centeno
March 13, 2023
Rihanna brought her tribute to Chadwick Boseman to life at the Oscars.
On Sunday night, March 12, a visibly pregnant Riri hit the stage at the 95th Academy Awards to perform "Lift Me Up" from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Actress Danai Gurira introduced the singer, as well as its writers Tems, Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler, before the Wakanda-style stage was revealed. Rihanna wore black floral pants with a diamond-bedazzled top and long black gloves as she crooned the song from the helm of the stage surrounded by an all-Black symphony. She was met by roars of applause at the end of her set, especially from her best friend A$AP Rocky.
Baby it is the husband for me! Cheering her on. @rihanna @abc #Oscars2023 #Oscars95 #abc #Rihanna #asaprocky #numberonefan pic.twitter.com/FA0L7Qolg2
— 💕P💕 (@OutstandinP) March 13, 2023
"Lift Me Up," which was penned by Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coolger and Rihanna herself, is a touching tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. It's up for Best Original Song along with Lady Gaga ("Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick), Sofia Carson ("Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman), Golden Globe winners Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava ("Naatu Naatu" from RRR), and Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski ("This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once).
Rihanna's stunning performance comes exactly one month after she confirmed she's pregnant with her second child with A$AP Rocky during her halftime set at Super Bowl LVII. Since then, she's given fans a better glimpse into her life as a mother whether it's showing off photos her her first son to protecting him by all costs, especially from photographers. She opened up about shielding her son from the paparazzi in a recent interview with British Vogue. She also said that she wants to release her long-awaited album this year.
“I want it to be this year,” Rihanna said. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos. And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can’t just go shoot a video to me talking."
Watch Rihanna's debut at the Academy Awards below.
Rihanna performs "Lift Me Up" at the #Oscars. https://t.co/ndiKiHfmID pic.twitter.com/cyESzOZnmm
— Variety (@Variety) March 13, 2023