oscars 2023

Rihanna Will Perform at the Oscars, Answering the Navy’s Prayers

Someone get the baby a mic. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

R9 might be a delusion, but Rihanna performing this year certainly is not. Ms. Fenty will take the stage at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, the event’s producers and showrunners announced on February 23, for her first live rendition of her Oscar-nominated song, “Lift Me Up,†from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Ludwig Göransson–produced single, written by Rihanna, Tems, Ryan Coogler, and Priscilla Renea, is in the running for Best Original Song. It’s Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. “Lift Me Up†didn’t do well only during awards season — it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard “Hot 100†and marked her first top-ten hit since “Wild Thoughts†in 2017. Her most recent live show was just weeks ago — she deftly sang a medley of her hits while hitting minimal choreo (she’s pregnant) atop floating stages at the Super Bowl halftime show, a visual extravaganza that underscored her rightful place as a pop hitmaker. The Oscars will announce additional performances in the coming weeks, though its safe to say excitement for Rihanna’s second performance of the year is certain to eclipse any other Oscar-related news (for the Navy at least). Catch Rihanna live at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12.

Rihanna to Perform at the 2023 Academy Awards