This is not a drill. Beyoncé has something up her sleeve for the BeyHive.
Last night (July 9), during the film’s exclusive premiere, fans had the opportunity to listen to a new single from Beyoncé. The track, “Spirit,” serves as a single off of Beyoncé’s upcoming album, The Lion King: The Gift.
As per a statement, the album was produced and curated by Beyoncé, who says of the project: “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.” The new song opens with a call-and-response, and carries both melodic and lyrical themes from the original 1994 movie; talking winds, gathering stars and opening heavens.
The album is slated to drop next week alongside the film on July 19. To promote their upcoming movie, Bey’s co-star, Donald Glover, visited the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. During his conversation, he explained that he was a little intimidated working with Queen Bey. As a result, he joked about not being in the same room as the Houston singer.
“I did not wanna be looking into Beyoncé’s eyes while doing this,” Glover said jokingly. “Nah actually, I was working on ‘Solo’ at the time so I was in London, so I recorded at Abbey Road Studios.”
Last month, fans were teased with a snippet of Glover and Beyoncé harmonizing “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.” A few weeks before that, while attending the Wearable Art Gala, Beyoncé explained why this film is so important to her.
“I’m so excited for my kids to see it, but it means even more to share this experience and this culture of The Lion King with my mother and my family,” Beyoncé said.
Listen to Beyoncé’s latest track “Spirit” below.