Rihanna seized the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman (Picture: Getty)
Rihanna was keen to make music for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to honour the late actor Chadwick Boseman, according to the film’s director.
The Umbrella singer has delighted fans after announcing that she has recorded a new track for the upcoming sequel film, titled Lift Me Up, marking her long-awaited return.
Asked how Rihanna’s involvement came about, director Ryan Coogler said that many ‘improbable’ things had to take place before it was realised.
‘Honestly, I think it was Chad,’ he said. ‘A lot of improbable things needed to happen for it to come through and Rihanna was very clear that she did that for him.’
Bosewick, who brought T’Challa to life in the Marvel films died in 2020 at the age of 43.
His family confirmed the actor has died after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, for which he had secretly been undergoing cancer treatment since 2016.
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The late T’Challa star, Boseman, died in 2020 after a battle with colon cancer (Picture: Marvel)
One of the film’s British stars, Michaela Coel, described Rihanna’s involvement as ‘huge’.
‘It’s kind of incredible because Rihanna doesn’t make music for any old person or project so it’s huge,’ she added to PA.
Rihanna’s confirmed she had made a song for Wakanda Forever in a surprise announcement on Thursday where she shared what appeared to be a snippet in a teaser clip.
Rihanna’s new track marks her return to music (Picture: Getty)
The track featured a soft melody and swelling strings while the video showed her name spelled in the fictional Wakandan alphabet.
It’s a monumental moment for Rihanna (and fans) given that the singer last released solo music in 2016 with her eighth studio album Anti.
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Late month she also revealed she will be performing at the next Super Bowl halftime show.
The event in Glendale, Arizona in February will be the star’s first major live performance in many years.
Speaking to American news outlet TMZ shortly after the news of the performance was announced, Rihanna reportedly said: ‘I’m nervous… but I’m excited”.
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A beautiful tribute to the late T’Challa star.