What Made Rihanna Say Yes To Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
With Rihanna confirmed to have created a song for Black Panther 2, Ryan Coogler revealed that there was a certain element that swayed the musician to join in.
Marvel’s next film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is poised to take the world by storm. The follow-up to the groundbreaking 2018 original sees the nation of Wakanda both grieving the loss of their king, and fending off an attack from the undersea Mutant, Namor.
As with the first film, Marvel Studios enlisted top musical talent to contribute to Wakanda Forever’s soundtrack. And none involved is more notable than Rihanna, who performs a song called “Lift Me Up,” which plays over the film’s end credits.
It’s been six years since Rihanna last released a single, having been on hiatus for some time. But Ryan Coogler spoke on how Marvel was able to bring her in for the hotly-anticipated sequel.
Rihanna Was Impressed by Wakanda Forever Trailer
During a press conference for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the movie’s director Ryan Coogler had the following exchange with the press moderator Jacqueline Coley, shedding light on the fact that it was the film’s initial trailer that persuaded Rihanna to board the film and create the credits song, “Lift Me Up.”
Coogler went on to discuss how the late Chadwick Boseman’s legacy was felt throughout Black Panther 2‘s production and the creation of the soundtrack, mentioning that Rihanna “said straight up, I did this for Chad.”
Rihanna Was a Major Get for Marvel
It was presumably Wakanda Forever’s San Diego Comic-Con trailer that piqued Rihanna’s interest and pulled her into the film.
That particular trailer is something of a fan-favorite and is chock full of stirring emotion set to a cover of “No Woman No Cry” and a track by Kendrick Lamar. The way the movie was presented in that first look would get just about anyone excited.
Rihanna is, of course, an icon in the recording industry, having won several awards for her music, including nine Grammys and twelve Billboard Music Awards. So it was indeed quite the score for Marvel to have her on board for “Lift Me Up.”
If the Black Panther sequel is anything like the first one, then music will play an important role in engaging the audience. And it’s not just Rihanna helping that along. Grammy-winning composer Ludwig Göransson will return to assist in bringing the world of Wakanda to life with distinct musical stylings and innovative instrumentation.
Marvel Studios’ 30th feature film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will arrive in theaters on Friday, November 11.
