Rihanna returns to music with ‘Black Panther’ song ‘Lift Me Up’

Welcome back, Rihanna.

Six long years after releasing her last solo music, the 34-year-old pop superstar finally returned Friday with “Lift Me Up,” the first single from the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack.

And it’s so good to hear her again, you almost get chills from the moment she starts humming at the beginning of the song. Then when she kicks in with the lyrics — her vocals front and center in the stripped-down mix — there’s no mistaking the timbre and texture of a voice that has been M.I.A. for far too long.

But while most were probably expecting Rihanna to come back with yet another club banger along the lines of “Don’t Stop the Music,” “We Found Love” or “Work,” “Lift Me Up” is a plaintive, powerful ballad. Striking in its spareness, the song showcases a more emotional and vulnerable side of the singer.

“Lift me up/Hold me down/Keep me close/Safe and sound,” she sings in the chorus of the tune, which she cowrote with “Wakanda Forever” director Ryan Coogler, producer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian artist Tems, in remembrance of the late “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman.

There’s a haunting beauty to “Lift Me Up” as Rihanna sings: “Keep me in the warmth of your love/When you depart, keep me safe.” It’s a poignant sentiment for anyone whose loved ones have passed on to the other side. 

And there’s also a lullaby quality to Rihanna’s first new music since becoming a mom to her son with A$AP Rocky in May. This is definitely designed more for rocking you to sleep than rocking the club.

You can easily hear “Lift Me Up” playing over the end credits of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which hits theaters on Nov. 11. And it’s the kind of cue-the-tears tune that should score an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

But it’s hard to imagine Rihanna doing this somber song when she performs at the Super Bowl halftime show next February. Perhaps the second track that she is rumored to have recorded for the “Wakanda Forever” soundtrack, due Nov. 4, will pump us up more than “Lift Me Up.”