Rihanna [1] just reminded fans, once again, that she absolutely commands the stage. The 35-year-old singer performed her Oscar-nominated single [2] "Lift Me Up" from the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" soundtrack [3] during the March 12 ceremony. Sparkling in a black and crystal top with trousers and long latex gloves, the performer slowly rose up — as the song suggests — on a platform in the center of the Dolby Theatre stage, backed by gospel singers and a live orchestra.
As the pregnant singer concluded the song, the cameras cut to her partner, A$AP Rocky, in the audience, who raised his Champagne glass in a toast.
Rihanna [4] was up for best original song against Sofia Carson ("Applause" from "Tell It Like a Woman"), Lady Gaga [5] ("Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick"), Ryan Lott, David Byrne, and Mitski ("This Is a Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once"), and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava ("Naatu Naatu" from "RRR"), who ended up taking the award home. The nod marks Rihanna's first-ever Oscar nomination.
This year is shaping up to be a big one for Rihanna. In addition to her debut performance at the Oscars, she recently headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show [6], where she revealed she's expecting her second child [7] with Rocky.
On top of that, Rihanna is also back in the studio working on new music [8]. "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."
Scroll ahead to watch Rihanna's sparkling performance at the 2023 Oscars.
