Folk singer Paris Paloma recently dropped a haunting new track called The Rider, and it’s officially part of the upcoming anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
If you haven’t heard of Paris Paloma yet, now’s the time to get on board. This Derbyshire-born artist blew up earlier this year with her hit labour, racking up over 180 million streams on Spotify and making waves on TikTok with her 900K followers. She’s been on The Kelly Clarkson Show, jammed with Jools Holland, and even got shoutouts from Billboard. Basically, she’s everywhere right now. She even performed The Rider live for the first time in Manchester
So, what’s the deal with The Rider? Paris teamed up with writers and producers Phoebe Gittins and David Long to create a song that dives deep into the lore of Middle-earth. The track focuses on Héra, the daughter of Helm Hammerhand — one of the legendary kings of Rohan. Paris said recording the song was a dream come true, fulfilling a lifelong love. Producer Philippa Boyens couldn’t stop praising her, saying Paris’s performance is packed with emotion and totally nails the Middle-earth vibe.
This isn’t just a one-off, either. The Rider follows in the footsteps of iconic musical contributions to The Lord of the Rings films — think Enya, Annie Lennox, or Ed Sheeran. The full soundtrack, scored by Stephen Gallagher, drops on December 6.
The War of the Rohirrim is an anime film directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Set 183 years before the original trilogy, it tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, voiced by the legendary Brian Cox. His daughter, Héra (voiced by Gaia Wise) steps up big time when their kingdom faces a deadly attack from a vengeful lord named Wulf. With Miranda Otto reprising her role as Éowyn from the original trilogy to narrate, the film dives into the last stand at the Hornburg, which hardcore fans will recognize as the future Helm’s Deep.
Paris Paloma’s involvement certainly adds a fresh layer to the film. Her debut album Cacophony is all about chaos and creation, exploring dark, gothic themes that mesh perfectly with Tolkien’s world. Plus, she’s already teasing her next album, so this is just the beginning.
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