Rihanna was one of the performers at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night. The worldwide superstar sang “Lift Me Up,” her Oscar-nominated song from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album. Rihanna, dressed in a black silk tulle embroidered top and dark silver and blue silk brocade leggings, sang the sad ballad with passion. A$AP Rocky, her lover, warmly cheered her from the audience.

Rihanna’s second high-profile performance of the year. She previously performed at the Apple Music-sponsored Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show. At that concert, Beyoncé revealed she was expecting her second kid with A$AP Rocky. Return to “Lift Me Up.” The emotional song was co-written by Rihanna, Tems, Ryan Coogler, and Ludwig Göransson. The song was also produced by Göransson. “Lift Me Up,” which was nominated for Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards, was written as a homage to Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa/Black Panther in the 2018 film. He died in the year 2020.

Of the inspiration for the song, Tems said, “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. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them.” She added, “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honor.”