Beyoncé is here to uplift the world with her new track “Spirit,” which will appear in Disney’s The Lion King and on its soundtrack, The Lion King: The Gift.
On the inspirational track, Beyoncé encourages anyone who is going through a tough time to remember there’s greatness on the other side. “Your destiny is comin’ close / Stand up and fight,” she sings.
The Lion King: The Gift, executive produced by Beyoncé (who plays Nala in the film), will release digitally on July 11 at 8 a.m. pacific. The physical version will release on July 19, which is also the day the film premieres in theaters. It’s available for pre-order now.
For the soundtrack, Beyoncé enlisted some of her favorite artists with some of the most talented and important African artists of the day to pay homage to the iconic Disney film and bring the authentic sounds of African music to the world.
“This is sonic cinema,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “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.”
“I wanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline,” she continued. “Each song was written to reflect the film’s storytelling that gives the listener a chance to imagine their own imagery, while listening to a new contemporary interpretation. It was important that the music was not only performed by the most interesting and talented artists but also produced by the best African producers. Authenticity and heart were important to me.”
Catch the “Spirit” with Beyoncé below.
