She’s Back! Rihanna’s Return to the Music Industry

Where Has She Been?

Musician and international superstar, Rihanna, has been pretty busy with everything but music… Since ANTI, her album released all the way back in 2016, she’s grown into a successful business woman, fashion icon, and mother. Her clothing line has helped change the fashion industry’s perspective on body image and positivity in an extremely healthy way. Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty’s clothing line have both taken off and can be found everywhere online and in every makeup store. Her Met Gala and red carpet outfits have been the center of attention every time she attends an event. In May of this year, she recently had her first child, a son, with rapper A$AP Rocky. As excited as everyone has been for her (Myself included) and everything she’s accomplished, her fans have been begging for her to release new music for years. After “patiently” waiting and re-listening to the same songs over and over again for the past six years, she blessed her fans with a brand new single.

Honoring Chadwick Boseman

While fans had no idea what to expect for Rihanna’s newest single, “Lift Me Up”, the public gathered enough context clues to grasp that the song would be a heartwarming tribute to the late actor Chadwick  Boseman. In August 2020, Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman lost his battle to colon cancer leaving marvel fans distraught. Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” was made to honor Chadwick and to be a tribute to him and his role as Black Panther in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, ‘Wakanda Forever’. Coming out of her hiatus to create this beautiful song shocked both the music industry and pop culture as a whole. 

Where is She Now?

Currently, Rihanna has been busy with red carpet events regarding “Lift Me Up” because of ‘Wakanda Forever’ and has been busy with her clothing and makeup companies. Rihanna is still a brand new mother, so spending time with her son has been a priority.She has been pretty conspicuous on what lies ahead for her music career. As of now, “Lift Me Up” has had positive feedback all over social media, and fans are excited for what’s next. Rihanna had told her fans many times that new music was in the works, and that after she had her babythere would be an album on the way. At the same time, she has also been telling fans for years new music was coming, but never released anything until six years later. Though it’s hard not to get our hopes up, we don’t know for sure if she is truly making an album now that her son is born.

What’s Next For Rihanna

While we are coming towards the end of 2022, these last few months and 2023 are going to be big for Rihanna’s return. November 11th, the newest Black Panther movie is coming to theaters, and with all of the premiers and press this movie is going to receive, Rihanna’s return to the music industry is going to be a big part of the movie’s buzz. Not only is Rihanna gaining lots of attention for returning to the music scene, but she will also be performing at the 2023 Super-bowl Halftime Show. The halftime show will mark her first live performance in over 4 years. Since she is performing at this upcoming Super-bowl, people are starting to think Rihanna will be dropping an album. When people usually perform at the Super-bowl, most of the time new music is released. Previously stated, Rihanna has also said she was going to make new music after she had her son. These rumors and assumptions have brought up the following questions: What is next for Rihanna and her music career? Will she stick to the pop genre? What kind of emotions will be in her upcoming music? While we’re all left wondering what’s next, it’ll be exciting to witness Rihanna’s return to the music industry and how it changes pop culture. 

Sources

Aniftos, R. (2022, October 29). Rihanna returns to music with ‘Lift me up’: Listen. Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/rihanna-lift-me-up-wakanda-forever-listen-1235162477/

Dellatto, M. (2022, October 27). Rihanna will release her first new music in five years on Friday. Forbes. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/10/26/rihanna-will-release-her-first-new-music-in-five-years-on-friday/?sh=7998660f23c3

Spencer-Elliott, L. (2022, October 27). Rihanna’s finally back with new music and her first major Project Post-Baby. Grazia. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/parenting/rihanna-baby-asap-rocky-name-pictures/