The world has been asking for new Rihanna music since her last album in 2006 and we have finally been given a glimpse of hope.
Although it may not be the album we had prayed for, Rihanna has released a new single as part of the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Rihanna has a back catalogue of banger after banger, so let’s take a look back and remember all of those classics that we have since forgotten.
“Umbrella” (feat. Jay-Z), 2007
This is arguably Rihanna’s best-known song. Its catchy chorus even had parents humming ‘ella, ella, ella’ under their breath by accident.
Umbrella mixes the soul and catchiness of R&B with the power of heavy rock, creating the ultimate jam.
Co-written by The-Dream. Kuk Harrell and Tricky Stewart, this song catapulted the Barbadian singer to stardom, securing her first Grammy. It also sat comfortable in the Number One spot in countries such as New Zealand, UK and America.
See also: Mercury Winner Little Simz Went To Same University As Rock Royalty
“Love On The Brain”, 2016
Love On The Brain was one of the singles released off Rihanna’s last album. It is one of her more vulnerable songs, seeing her mix her falsetto with strong belting and amazing range.
Co-writer of the song, Fred Ball, told Genuis, “We wanted the song to be old school – a mix between Prince and Al Green. We wanted it to have that juxtaposition of an old-school soul feel with modern lyrics.”
The song details how someone can fill your every thought, even if they are bad for you.
When talking with Kayne West in 2010, Rihanna said, “[People] only see the tough, defensive, aggressive side. But every woman is vulnerable. They have vulnerability. So of course I’m going to have that side.”
“Only Girl (In The World)”, 2010
According to Rolling Stone, this song solidified Rihanna as the “queen of the EDM era”.
The singer had an outstanding four singles reach Number One in 2010, one being Only Girl (In The World). This is still a party classic and sees Rihanna perform amazing vocal gymnastics, as only she can.
It comes as no surprise that this song became a timeless classic, as it was produced by the likes of SandyVee, StarGate and Kuk Harrell.
New Music
Rihanna teased her return to music via an Instagram post captioned ’tonight… MIDNIGHT #LiftMeUp.
It turns out that her song is part of the second installment of Black Panther, coming to cinemas 11 November.
The song Lift Me Up was released on YouTube and all major music streaming services on 29 October 2022.
The music video already has 25 million views, despite being up for only five days. It is also currently trending as number 2 on YouTube for music.
Read next: Who Are The Support Acts On Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour?