The nominees for the 95th Oscars have been released and Rihanna has grabbed a nod for Best Original Song for “Lift Me Up,” the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Marking the first time Rihanna has been nominated for an Oscar.
Other nominees include, “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman (music and lyric by Diane Warren); “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (music and lyric by Lady Gag and BloodPop, “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (music by M.M. Keeravaani and lyric by Chandrabose); and “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski / lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne).
Rihanna had co-wrote the track with Tems, Ludwig Göransson and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, while Göransson also produced the track. The song itself was a tribute to the life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther prior to his death in 2020.
Tems stated about the song, “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. Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
In other news, Rihanna is set to headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show at Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12th.
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