Disney has announced a new Beyonce album to accompany the remake of The Lion King.
The album is entitled The Lion King: The Gift and features multiple artists from around the world.
The new album will be released on July 19th, but fans are being given a one-track teaser. The album’s lead single, called “Spirit,” dropped last night (July 9th). The track appears in The Lion King with Beyoncé’s character Nala on screen, and is also part of the film’s mainline soundtrack. The song was written for the film by Ilya Salmanzadeh, Timothy McKenzie, and Beyoncé.
Beyoncé’s individual curator’s touch can be heard throughout the new album. The album pairs a number of African artists with the authentic sound of African music.
In a statement, Beyoncé described the album as “sonic cinema.”
“This is a new experience of storytelling. I wanted to do more than find a collection of songs that were inspired by the film. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration that isn’t one sound. It is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip hop and Afro Beat.”
The Lion King: The Gift includes a multi-genre symphony steeped in African influences. Several unexpected collaborations are also on the album. While Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper are not confirmed, they did work with Bey on the movie. All in all, Disney is loading up the celebrity factor to give this remake a jolt.
When asked about the release, Donald Glover said there will never be another powerhouse like Beyonce.
“They’re not gonna make a Beyoncé again so I’d just listen to her. Listen to what she did.”
The physical album pre-order is now available on Disney’s official site. The digital soundtrack for the movie will drop on July 11th at 8am PST. Fans who are interested in hearing the new “Spirit” single from the soundtrack can listen below.