Today, Beyoncé shared the tracklist for The Lion King: The Gift, which she produced and curated to accompany Disney’s upcoming remake of 1994’s The Lion King. In addition to several new Beyoncé songs, the album features appearances from Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, Childish Gambino, Pharrell Williams, and Tierra Whack. Nigerian artists such as Wizkid, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, and Yemi Alade are also featured prominently throughout the soundtrack.
“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,” Beyoncé told ABC News about the album. “A lot of the drums, the chants, all of these incredible new sounds mixed with the producers from America—we’ve kind of created our own genre. I feel like the soundtrack becomes visual in your mind. It’s a soundscape. It’s more than just the music because each song tells the story of the film.”
The Lion King: The Gift arrives on July 19, which is the same day as The Lion King opens in US theaters.
