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Rihanna brought her tribute to Chadwick Boseman to life at the Oscars.
On Sunday night, March 12, a visibly pregnant Riri hit the stage at the 95th Academy Awards to perform "Lift Me Up" from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Actress Danai Gurira introduced the singer, as well as its writers Tems, Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler, before the Wakanda-style stage was revealed. Rihanna wore black floral pants with a diamond-bedazzled top and long black gloves as she crooned the song from the helm of the stage surrounded by an all-Black symphony. She was met by roars of applause at the end of her set, especially from her best friend A$AP Rocky.
"Lift Me Up," which was penned by Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coolger and Rihanna herself, is a touching tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. It's up for Best Original Song along with Lady Gaga ("Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick), Sofia Carson ("Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman), Golden Globe winners Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava ("Naatu Naatu" from RRR), and Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski ("This Is a Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once).
Rihanna's stunning performance comes exactly one month after she confirmed she's pregnant with her second child with A$AP Rocky during her halftime set at Super Bowl LVII. Since then, she's given fans a better glimpse into her life as a mother whether it's showing off photos her her first son to protecting him by all costs, especially from photographers. She opened up about shielding her son from the paparazzi in a recent interview with British Vogue. She also said that she wants to release her long-awaited album this year.
“I want it to be this year,” Rihanna said. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos. And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can’t just go shoot a video to me talking."
Watch Rihanna's debut at the Academy Awards below.