Rihanna Picks Oscars for Next Performance After Super Bowl Halftime Show

Rihanna held off on performing “Lift Me Up” during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show earlier this month, and now we know why. She will perform the song first time publicly at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12. The song was featured in Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and scored her a nomination for Best Original Song.

Rihanna is the first performer confirmed for the Oscars. She shares the Best Original Song nomination with Tems, composer Ludwig Goransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. It is Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. Goransson won the Best Original Score Oscar for the first Black Panther film.

The other Best Original Song nominees this year could bring more pop stars to the Dolby Theatre. Lady Gaga’s Top Gun: Maverick song “Hold My Hand” was nominated, as was “This Is a Life,” the Everything Everywhere All at One song written by David Byrne, Mitski, and Ryan Lott. “Naatu Naatu” from RRR and Diane Warren’s “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman was also nominated.

The Oscars will mark Rihanna’s second major live performance of the year. She delivered an acclaimed performance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Feb. 12 during Super Bowl LVII. Her setlist focused on her biggest hits, including “We Found Love,” “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Umbrella,” and “Diamonds.” Unlike other recent Super Bowl acts, Rihanna performed solo. She also confirmed after the show that she is pregnant with her and A$AP Rocky‘s second child.

After the show, producer Jesse Collins told Entertainment Tonight that Rihanna likely performed by herself to “make the statement that she could carry this thing and she did.” Collins added, “People just want to see her and so she had to give ’em a show and she did. We haven’t seen her dance like that in a long time and I thought it was just spectacular.”

The 95th Oscars will air live on ABC, with Jimmy Kimmel as the host. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Angela Bassett); Best Makeup and Hairstyling; Best Costume Design; and Best Visual Effects. The 10 movies nominated for Best Picture this year are All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Tar, Top Gun: Maverick, Triangle of Sadness, and Women Talking.