Tems ‘Lift Me Up’ Gets Oscar Nomination

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

It’s been a good time for music star Tems. The Nigerian international sensation made history as she bagged Oscar nomination last Tuesday for one of the soundtracks of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. She was nominated alongside other music stars in the category for Best Original Song which has ‘Lift Me Up’, the lead single from the film’s soundtrack album.

The track, which was performed by music superstar, Rihanna, was co-written by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, and Oscar-winning composer, Ludwig Göransson. The song honoured the life and legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman who died from cancer in 2020 at the age of 43. Boseman played the title character of Black Panther in the first Marvel’s movie which came out in 2018, prior to his death.

Tems had released a statement explaining her role in the song creation as well as what informed her songwriting direction. “After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them.”

Voting for the 2023 Oscars commences March 2nd and will run till 7th. The 96th Academy Awards ceremony holds on Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and will be hosted by comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Wakanda Forever sound track features over 40 international artistes and was recorded in Lagos, Mexico City, London and Los Angeles.

“Wakanda Forever” is the 2022 sequel to Black Panther released to global acclaim in 2018. The soundtrack album was produced by the film’s director, Ryan Coogler along with the composer Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, the chief creative officer at Def Jam, and Dave Jordan. In what became a massive labor of love, Göransson spent over 2500 hours recording the score and soundtrack – which involved six studios, across three continents and five countries.

Coogler was intimately involved in the creation of the music for the film, from co-writing lyrics on the Rihanna track ‘Lift Me Up’ to suggesting the cover of Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ performed by Tems and bridged together with Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Alright’ for the film’s instantly viral trailer.