The singer took to the stage at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles to embody the theme song for the Marvel blockbuster.
It was one of the highlights of the 95th Academy Awards. Rihanna performed the song on the Dolby Theater stage in Los Angeles on Monday Lift Me Up of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. A performance followed by a standing ovation.
The opportunity for the singer to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the interpreter of Black Panther. This track was co-written by Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Ryan Coogler “as a tribute to [l’]incredible legacy” by Chadwick Boseman, Disney said in a statement last year.
“I wanted to write a title that conveys the emotion felt when we think of the people we have lost,” Tems said in the same press release. “I tried to imagine how I would feel if I could sing for them now and express how much I miss them.”
Counter the decline in audiences
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, recounts the consequences of the death of T’Challa / Black Panther on the nation of Wakanda, which struggles to protect itself from the interference of other world powers like the United States. But a terrible threat arises from a kingdom hidden deep in the oceans: Namor.
The long-awaited participation of Rihanna in the ceremony was intended to counter the general decline in her audience. Because despite a rebound last year, interest in the Oscars has waned considerably since the heyday of the 90s.