Rihanna set to perform “Lift Me Up” at 2023 Oscars

Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Thursday. This will be the Grammy Award-winning pop star’s first time performing at the Oscars. 

“Lift Me Up” was nominated for Best Original Song — marking another first for the pop star. “Wakanda Forever” director Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson and Nigerian singer Tems are credited in the single, which reached no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 last November.

It was also Rihanna’s first release after a near-six-year absence, and her Oscars performance will be the first time she’s performed during an awards show since the 2018 Grammys.

“‘Lift Me Up’ is a song that holds great meaning to us as it was written as a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of our friend, the late Chadwick Boseman, and his influence on this film,” Göransson said in a statement. Boseman, known for his role as King T’Challa in Marvel’s “Black Panther,” died in 2020 after a four-year battle with cancer. 

“It was an honor to work with these incredible musicians in crafting a song for our film and for our friend,” Coogler said in a statement after the nomination. “It was meant to be a tribute to love and the specter of loss, and I couldn’t be happier that it is being recognized.”

The movie earned five nominations in total, including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Angela Bassett, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects.

The news comes just weeks after she delivered an Internet-shattering performance during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. 

Wearing a bright-red ensemble, Rihanna’s 13-minute solo performance was the first time she had performed on stage in nearly seven years. She also set the Twitterverse a-buzzing after showing off what looked like a baby bump during the performance of her song “B**** Better Have My Money.”

The singer’s representative later confirmed to CBS News that Rihanna is pregnant with baby No. 2. Rihanna welcomed her first child with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, in May.

The single is up against “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR,” and “This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” 

The Academy Awards show is set for Sunday, March 12.