In a turn of events that surprises absolutely no one, Beyoncé’s new single, “Spirit,” sounds like it descended straight from angels. The song will play in Disney’s upcoming remake The Lion King and appear on Beyoncé’s companion album for the movie.
Just before midnight on July 9th, Beyoncé dropped both the single and news of her upcoming album, The Lion King: The Gift. Her timing coincided with the film’s red-carpet premiere; the movie hits theaters on July 17th. Beyoncé’s new album will debut on the same day.
Along with recording her own tracks, Beyoncé curated music from other African artists to include in the album. “Spirit” will be on The Gift as well.
Although “Spirit” plays in The Lion King during a pivotal point with Beyoncé’s character, Nala, the rest of her album will not appear in the film. After all, Disney has already opened up preorders for the film’s soundtrack featuring remakes of the 1994 original songs. Don’t worry, though–movie’s soundtrack will also include “Spirit.”
Even so, The Gift relates to the central themes of The Lion King. The album’s cover displays Beyoncé with her CGI lion character, Nala. If you wanted two amazing soundtracks that relate to the new movie, you have them.
Since “Spirit” came out beautifully, we can’t wait to see what the rest of The Lion King: The Gift holds.