Oscars 2023: Rihanna to perform ‘Black Panther’ songs at the ceremony

Rihanna performs during the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Rihanna will follow up her soaring Super Bowl halftime show with a performance at the Super Bowl of movies — the Oscars.

Producers of the telecast said on February 23 that the music superstar will sing Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Lift Me Up, with music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson and lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler, is nominated for original song. It is Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination.

Earlier this month, the Barbadian superstar, dressed in a bright red jumpsuit, plowed through 12 of her hits in 13 minutes, at the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The performance doubled as an announcement to the world that she was pregnant with her second child.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on March 12.

Among Oscar competitors that Rihanna faces is Lady Gaga, who was nominated for Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick. Lady Gaga co-wrote the song with BloodPop and it’s her fourth nomination; she won an Oscar in 2019 for Shallow with Bradley Cooper.

Another nominee is Diane Warren, who received her 14th Oscar nomination through her song Applause from Tell It Like a Woman. The prolific songwriter was recognized with an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards last year.

Other best original song nominees are M.M. Keeravaani’s Naatu Naatu from RRR, which was written by Chandrabose, and This is a Life from Everything Everywhere All at Once. The latter track was created by Mitski, David Byrne and Ryan Lott, who along with his band Son Lux was also nominated for best original score.