The Oscars will feature a performance by pop icon Rihanna, the organizers announced on Thursday, just weeks after she made her long-awaited and clearly pregnant comeback at the Super Bowl.
The singer, who was born in Barbados, will perform her Oscar-nominated single “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at the major awards ceremony for the movie business in Hollywood.
The music is up against Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” as well as the current front-runner, “Naatu Naatu,” from the Indian blockbuster “RRR.”
Before she performed a career-spanning medley of hits at the NFL’s premier halftime show earlier this month, Rihanna, 35, had not given a public performance in seven years.
Instead, she has focused on growing the high-fashion, lingerie, and makeup businesses that have made her a billionaire, as well as caring for her son, who was born in May.
At the Super Bowl, talk was dominated by her new baby bump, and shortly after the performance, Rihanna’s representatives announced that the diva is expecting her second child.
Fans expecting to see a preview of the record she has been hinting at for years, however, were let down.
Lift Me Up is Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. She has eight multi-platinum records and is a nine-time Grammy winner.
Jimmy Kimmel will serve as the presenter of the 95th Academy Awards on March 12 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
