Rihanna praises Tems songwriting

Rihanna just released her new single “Lift Me Up” that was written by Tems. The Nigerian singer releases her own music since 2018, but rose to international fame with hit singles including “Wait For U” (that samples her own song “Higher”) and “Essence” by Wizkid. The new song for the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack enables her to reach even more global audiences.

This is not the first time Rihanna showed Tems some love

In a first press release, Tems already mentioned that “it is a great honor” to have Rihanna, who she calls her “inspiration”, sing the song. On today’s release day, she added “blessed to have written this song in honour of Chadwick Boseman and even more blessed to hear the baddest Rihanna voice it to perfection” via Instagram. Within minutes Rihanna was eager to reply and praise her songwriting skills: “It’s the pen for me! Love to you sistren.”

Rihanna was most likely introduced to Tems last year, as she was spotted listening to “Essence” multiple times throughout the year. During her SavageX Show Vol. 3 in 2021, she even let her models and dancers walk the new collection to the hit single. So it was no surprise that Tems was invited to the show’s premiere in New York, where both artists met for the first time.

Only in September 2022, Tems told British GQ boldly that a collaboration with Rihanna is “gonna happen”. Who would’ve known that only a month later their first project would actually be released…

Tems: “Rihanna is an icon to the whole world”

After the song’s premiere, Tems expressed her love for Rihanna even more. Talking to “Hollywood Unlocked” she said: “Rihanna is an icon to the whole world. I mean how great is this comeback? I’m so happy I’m part of this huge thing.”