Rihanna is continuing to make her musical comeback on her terms.
The pop superstar will take the stage at the 2023 Academy Awards next month to perform “Lift Me Up,” her Oscar-nominated song from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” live for the first time.
ABC, which will broadcast the Oscars live from Los Angeles on March 12, confirmed Rihanna’s appearance Thursday.
Rihanna, a nine-time Grammy winner, received her first-ever Oscar nomination for “Lift Me Up,” released last fall. Other nominees for best original song include Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR.”
The Academy Awards are taking place exactly one month after Rihanna made her triumphant return to live performing after a five-year hiatus at the 2023 Super Bowl. Her halftime show was a powerhouse medley of her most beloved songs ― including “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “We Found Love,” “Work” and “Umbrella” ― performed with a massive dance troupe from a series of floating stages above the field.
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Though Rihanna sang her hits without any guests, she did have one major surprise in store. Shortly after the performance wrapped, the singer’s representative confirmed she’s pregnant with her second child. She and her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, became first-time parents to a son in May.
Many fans had speculated that Rihanna’s halftime show would mark the launch of a new album and concert tour. She hasn’t released a full-length studio album since 2016’s “ANTI,” which featured the hits “Work” and “Kiss It Better.”
Though such projects may take a bit longer to materialize, Rihanna recently told British Vogue she hadn’t scrapped plans for new music, but was determined for any forthcoming work to be on caliber with “ANTI,” which she considers her “most brilliant” album to date.
“There’s this pressure that I put on myself. That if it’s not better than (“ANTI”) then it is not even worth it,” she said. “It’s not the right way to look at music because music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever.”
As to when she expects to drop new music, she added, “I want it to be this year. Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year.”