Rihanna’s reign won’t let up. Her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever single, “Lift Me Up,” has been certified platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA, reaching over one million equivalent single sales.
It marks Rihanna’s second RIAA award this month, following “Needed Me” advancing to 9x multi-platinum. She earned multiple RIAA honors earlier this year, mainly for songs from her acclaimed 2016 album ANTI.
“Lift Me Up,” a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa/Black Panther in the 2018 film, appears on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. It’s one of two songs Rihanna contributed to the sequel. She also turned in “Born Again.”
Rihanna co-wrote “Lift Me Up” with Tems, Ludwig Göransson and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.
“After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life,” said Tems.
“I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them. Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”
Upon its release, “Lift Me Up” debuted at No. 1 across the following Billboard charts: Hot R&B Songs, R&B Streaming Songs, R&B Digital Song Sales, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs.
“Lift Me Up” also reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, tallying Rihanna’s 32nd top-ten single on the popular singles chart.
In December 2022, “Lift Me Up” topped Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, giving Rihanna her first No. 1 on the list. It remained atop for four weeks.
More success for the emotional ballad occurred. “Lift Me Up” was part of the Best Original Song nomination pool at the 80th Golden Globes and 95th Oscars. They marked Rihanna’s first nods at both coveted award shows.
She delivered a touching performance of “Lift Me Up” at the 95th Oscars.
The official video for “Lift Me Up” won Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.
Listen to “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna below.