All Animal Kingdom fans, lets all get into formation because the queen of the Beyhive is back and ready to roar into the Jungle.
Beyoncé has outlined details for her 14-track new album that she says is “a love letter to Africa “to accompany The Lion King remake, entitled The Lion King: The Gift, to be released on Friday. “This soundtrack is a love letter to Africa, and I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa, and not just use some of the sounds and did my interpretation of it,” Mrs Knowles-Carter told ABC News.
“I wanted it to be authentic to what is beautiful about the music in Africa,” she said, adding that they used “a lot” of drums and “incredible new sounds mixed with some of the producers from America.”
The Beyoncé-produced-and-curated compilation album, “The Lion King: The Gift,” features Numerous African artists including Nigerian pop stars Tiwa Savage and Mr Eazi who perform the song Keys to the Kingdom, with the latter also appearing alongside fellow Nigerians Tekno and Yemi Alade on Don’t Jealous Me. Nigeria’s Burna Boy has a solo track, Ja Ara E, while Cameroonian artist Salatiel appears alongside Beyoncé and Pharrell on Water. Other African artists include Nigeria’s Wizkid, Ghana’s Shatta Wale, and South Africa’s Busiswa and Moonchild Sanelly.
The album also features four new solo songs alongside collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, Childish Gambino, Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy and more. It is separate from the soundtrack to The Lion King, though the Beyoncé song Spirit appears on both.
“We’ve kind of created our own genre and I feel like the soundtrack is the first soundtrack where it becomes visual in your in your mind,” she explained. “The soundscape is more than just the music because each song tells the story of the film.”
“[The album] is gonna create a new awareness,” promises E-Kelly, a Nigerian producer who has worked with Mr. Eazi and Wizkid. “People who have never heard any afrobeats, this is going to be their first experience of hearing something real from the culture.”
“The Lion King: The Gift” — curated and produced by Beyoncé — will be released this Friday – July 19th.