Inside Rihanna’s billion-dollar comeback: from new song Lift Me Up for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the Savage x Fenty Vol. 4 Fashion Show, to headlining the Super Bowl halftime show

Oct 28 , 2022

She’s back! Rihanna has a new single, a Super Bowl halftime show and a Savage x Fenty show in her sights. Photo: EPA-EFE

When Rihanna makes a comeback, she does not skimp on the work.

The “Umbrella” hitmaker, who welcomed her first child earlier this year with embattled rapper A$AP Rocky, not only teased fans with new music this week, she’s also curated a star-studded line-up for her Savage x Fenty Vol. 4 fashion show, which will stream live on Prime Video on November 9.

Here’s what you need to know about Riri’s big return ...

Her star-studded fashion show

Rihanna is always the best advert for her Savage x Fenty lingerie line, but likes to rope in a few celebrity friends for her fashion shows too. Photo: @badgalriri/Instagram

The Savage x Fenty Vol. 4 Fashion Show has an all star cast of models. Broadway star and newly minted Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, who stars in ABC’s Abbott Elementary, will be among those walking in the fashion show, along with Empire alum Taraji P. Henson, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu, Black Panther actor Winston Duke, Black-ish actor Marsai Martin, Snowfall actor Damson Idris, model-actor Cara Delevingne, drag queen Kornbread, singer Ángela Aguilar, actor and dancer Taylour Paige and comedians Lilly Singh and Rickey Thompson.

Other models include TikTok stars Avani Gregg and Bella Poarch, as well as supermodels Irina Shayk, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone, Precious Lee and Zach Miko, among others, Prime Video said in a statement.

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Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty fashion shows are always an extravagant and colourful affair. Photo: @savagexfenty/Instagram

Musicians Anitta, Burna Boy, Don Toliver and Maxwell are also set to perform at the event, for which Rihanna served as an executive producer and creative director.

“Now in its fourth consecutive year, the extraordinary fashion experience continues to challenge tradition and break boundaries. The trailblazing event is raising the bar yet again with a new all-star line-up of models, actors, some of the biggest names in music, and more, debuting the latest Savage x Fenty styles,” Prime Video said, describing the event as “a seductive fashion fever dream”.

Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie has been a huge hit, and helped make the Barbadian singer a billionaire. Photo: @savagexfenty/Instagram

The size-inclusive collection features bras, underwear, sleepwear and loungewear. It will be available for purchase at the Amazon Fashion Store and Savage x Fenty on the same day the fashion show airs.

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Rihanna has excited fans by revealing that she’s been back in the studio working on new music. Photo: @badgalriri/Instagram

The nine-time Grammy Award winner also sent her fans into a frenzy this week when she released a snippet of long-awaited new music six years after she released her last studio album, Anti. The billionaire entertainer dubbed the project “Lift Me Up” and announced that it will be dropping on October 28, just a few weeks before the fashion show and months ahead of her headlining performance at the Super Bowl halftime show on February 12 next year.

“Lift Me Up”, which is being released on Rihanna’s Westbury Road label in partnership with Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings and Hollywood Records, is the lead single from the soundtrack to Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due in cinemas on November 11.

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Rihanna has co-written a track for the latest Black Panther film called “Lift Me Up”. Photo: Reuters

Riri wrote the track with screenwriter and director Ryan Coogler, Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems and Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson, who scored Coogler’s 2018 blockbuster.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky glam up for the film premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in Los Angeles, on October 26. Photo: Reuters

The song, Marvel Studios said, is a tribute to the life and legacy of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died of cancer in 2020. The single was recorded in five countries and was produced by Göransson.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child in May this year – now she’s getting ready to ramp up her career again. Photo: Reuters

“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,” Tems said of the track. “Rihanna has been an inspiration to me so hearing her convey this song is a great honour.”

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Fame and celebrity

Now Rihanna’s given birth to her baby with A$AP Rocky, it’s time for her big comeback, including a new song for Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and a huge fashion show
The Savage x Fenty production, which will stream live on Prime Video, will star everyone from Anitta and Cara Delevingne to Bella Poarch, Simu Liu and Burna Boy