Rihanna Performs “Lift Me Up” for the First Time at Oscars: Watch

Rihanna raised the bar for Oscars performances with the on-stage debut of her Black Panther: Wakanda Perpetually soundtrack lower, “Elevate Me Up,” which was in competition for Finest Unique Track on the evening’s proceedings.

Poised on the entrance of the stage, Rihanna was joined by a crew of backing musicians in a Wakanda-inspired set. Marking the singer’s second stay efficiency after years away, “Elevate Me Up” allowed the artist to remind us of her vocal chops, versus her never-forgotten stage presence. When she completed the observe, Rihanna was met with a deserved standing ovation.

The Wakanda Perpetually standout single, which earned our Track of the Week distinction when it dropped in October 2022, obtained its correct stay debut in primetime after it was shockingly left off of RiRi’s Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present setlist, although there have been nonetheless loads of surprises all through her heights-defying, pregnancy-revealing, all-hits internet hosting job.

The intimate, vocal showcase ballad was written by Rihanna, with Tems, Ludwig Göransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, as a tribute to the superhero smash’s late lead actor, Chadwick Boseman. Göransson, who additionally produced the observe and wrote the rating for each Black Panther movie entries, beforehand received the Academy Award for Finest Unique Rating in 2019 for his work on the unique Wakanda-based blockbuster.

Revisit our evaluate of Black Panther: Wakanda Perpetually, and discover all of our Oscars protection right here.

Rihanna performs “Elevate Me Up” on the #Oscars. https://t.co/ndiKiHfmID pic.twitter.com/cyESzOZnmm

— Selection (@Selection) March 13, 2023