The 2023 Oscars just got a lot more exciting, because Rihanna is set to take the stage for a special performance. On Feb. 23, the Academy Awards announced on Instagram that the 35-year-old singer will perform her Oscar-nominated single “Lift Me Up” from the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack at the March 12 ceremony.
Rihanna is up for best original song against Sofia Carson (“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman”), Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”), 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”). The nod marks Rihanna’s first-ever Oscar nomination.
2023 is shaping up to be a big year for Rihanna. In addition to her debut performance at the Oscars, she recently headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, where she revealed she’s expecting her second child with A$AP Rocky.
Related: Rihanna Says Parenthood Brought Her and A$AP Rocky “Closer”: “We’re Best Friends With a Baby”
On top of that, Rihanna is also back in the studio working on new music. “Im feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different, things that are off, weird, might not ever make sense to my fans and the people that know the music I put out,” the superstar said during her press conference with Apple Music on Feb. 9. “I just want to play. I want to have fun with music.”
