Everything we know about Rihanna’s “Born Again”
Rihanna’s new song “Born Again” was first heard at the movie premiere of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on October 26th of 2022. According to the end credits, that also reveal the full tracklist, the song is written by The Dream, James Fauntleroy as well as the soundtrack’s producer Ludwig Göransson. Dream and Fauntleroy, who worked with Rihanna before, would later confirm their collaboration on the soundtrack via Twitter. Days after the premiere, the movie had another press screening on November 1st. Both events had people tweet about the song, confirming it’s a ballad just like “Lift Me Up”. So why is the song not listed on the official tracklist that was just released by Marvel?
Why is Rihanna’s “Born Again” not on the soundtrack of “Wakanda Forever”?
The answer is: We don’t know (yet), but what could possibly be the reason? The soundtrack will be released this Friday, November 4th, so fans expected another song after the title track was just released the prior week. Many speculate whether or not “Born Again” may land on a deluxe version of the soundtrack, but the first movie that was released in 2018, didn’t have a deluxe version either.
So what else could possibly made the song get scratched from the soundtrack? “Lift Me Up” was released only five days ago, with a music video that was shot only days before the movie’s premiere. Ryan Coogler, the movie’s director, told press that Rihanna was the “latest to join the family” with Jay-Z being the one “who made the connection”. All decisions were most likely made last minute. Could the team predict the success of “Lift Me Up”? Likely, as this was Rihanna’s first lead single since 2016 that was hyped by press in advance.
“Lift Me Up” too big for “Born Again” to drop?
However, “Lift Me Up” sold more than 100.000 units during its first weekend and already broke a record for the most adds on US radio. The song’s videos have been viewed more than 34 million times combined on YouTube by now. According to FentyStats, the song is already number one on iTunes in 46 countries worldwide. The song, that impacted US radio only yesterday, is off to a great start and is predicted to debut #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Seems like Marvel, or even Rihanna and her team, decided to keep all the focus on one song, which had to be the title track that was written in tribute of the late Chadwick Boseman. Some fans may remember that in 2010, Rihanna was floading radio with single releases back to back. Even David Guetta told press back then, that his label asked radio stations to stop play “Who’s That Chick”, because Rihanna had too many songs out at the same time. Others may remember that in 2015, “Towards The Sun” was supposed to be released as the title track of Dreamworks “Home” with a music video shot allegedly on Rihanna’s birthday. The project was never released and Dreamworks went on with “Feel The Light” by Jennifer Lopez.
Did Rihanna keep “Born Again” for her own album?
So it was most likely pulled out, because another track was supposed to keep all the buzz. Some fans believe that Rihanna decided to keep “Born Again” for herself. Her long awaited upcoming studio album will most likely be released around her Super Bowl performance next year. Meanwhile, the full soundtrack of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forver” includes tracks by artists such as Tems, Future, Rema, Burna Boy and many more. Make sure to stream the soundtrack Nov 4th and go watch the movie Nov 9th (in selected countries). You wouldn’t want to miss the chance to listen to a Rihanna song that can be heard during the credits, but not online…
Check out all the links to stream/buy/watch Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” here. Did you know you can buy digital copies of the single? They just launched today. You can find them here.
