Beyonce premieres worshipful song 'Spirit' for Lion King soundtrack, says ‘God is the art director’
Beyonce is one of the star voices in the newly released live-action version of “The Lion King” and her latest single, “Spirit,” from the movie's soundtrack features Christian lyrics in honor of God and the African culture.
"This soundtrack is a love letter to Africa. 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," she told ABC's Robin Roberts during a primetime special on Tuesday called "The Lion King: Can You Feel the Love Tonight." "I wanted it to be authentic about what is beautiful about the music in Africa."
"Spirit" begins with a chant in Swahili which says, “Uishi kwa muda mrefu mfalme.” According to Google Translate, the Swahili chant means "long live the King/Live for, live by" in English.
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Beyonce unveiled the new video for her song, “Spirit,” during the ABC appearance. The music video features clips of the film along with other scenes showcasing the singer, her daughter Blue Ivy and stunning shots in vibrant regions, such as waterfalls in bodies of water, surrounded by mountains.
The Texas native and her cast of dancers are seen worshipfully dancing during the gospel styles choruses.
“Rise up to the light in the sky, yeah,” Beyonce sings. “Watch the light lift your heart up/Burn your flame through the night.”
“So go into that far off land/And be one with the great I Am, I Am/A boy becomes a man,” she continues, “Woah, spirit /Watch the heavens open, yeah/Spirit, can you hear it callin'? Yeah.”
During Beyonce’s interview with Roberts, she confessed that the animated version of “The Lion King” was “the first Disney movie that brought me to tears.” She added that the new version of the movie has “an incredible spirit” that “takes you on so many emotional rides.”
“The concept of the video is to show how God is the art director,” she added.
The singer is the executive producer of the soundtrack, "The Lion King: The Gift" and selected all the songs for it. The soundtrack will be released on Friday. The film is in theaters Thursday.
