It’s been six years since fans heard anything from RiRi and now the wait is over. Just last month, the singer announced her return to the stage as the headline for next year’s Super Bowl – the most watched annual event in the world.
The 34-year-old singer’s new music will be part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, the latest in the film’s franchise.
With nothing more than a 14-second clip of Rihanna’s humming, over a simple graphic, there really isn’t much being given away, making it all the more tantalising for her legion of fans, known collectively as The Navy.
lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris
There have been some reports that Rihanna’s involvement in the soundtrack for the latest instalment of Black Panther is largely in honour of the film’s late star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away aged 43 in late 2020.
Director Ryan Coogler has said as much, commenting: “Honestly, I think it was Chad… A lot of improbable things needed to happen for it to come through and Rihanna was very clear that she did that for him.”
In her hiatus away from music, Rihanna has been building a business empire, notably with her luxury beauty brand Fenti. The company’s success has made her the richest female musician in the world, according to Forbes.
Such success had also led to speculation as to whether Rihanna would scale back on her musical projects. But now, at least fans will be getting a new single – and with the half-time performance next year, there may well be more music from her to come.
