Busiswa and Moonchild feature on Beyoncé's 'love letter to Africa' Lion King album

Busiswa Gqulu
Busiswa Gqulu
Image: Supplied

As South Africans wait in anticipation for the premiere of the remake of the Disney production The Lion King, on Tuesday morning, US singer Beyoncé Knowles-Carter released the track list for her curated companion album for the film, titled The Lion King: The Gift, and with it a few surprises.

Gqom singer Busiswa and "Future ghetto punk" artist Moonchild Sanelly topped trending topics of SA's social media platforms as fans realised that the two had been featured in the star-studded soundtrack.

I have no words to explain and express my gratitude for being one of the chosen ones for the @lionking soundtrack by my ultimate favourite artist in the world @Beyoncé y’all. Anyone who knows me or googles interviews has heard me say one day I’ll work with the Queen!!! They laughed, Look who got the last laugh now.

Dreams come true and nothing is impossible, wrote Moonchild on her Instagram page.

The soundtrack which Beyoncé  has described as a "love letter to Africa" also features well-known African artists such as Tekno, Yemi Alade, Burna Boy and Wizkid alongside heavyweights such as Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and the queen B herself.

Speaking on US breakfast show Good Morning America, Beyoncé said that she wanted the soundtrack to be authentic.

“I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa and not just use some of the sounds and do my interpretation of it. I wanted to be authentic to what is beautiful about the music in Africa,” she said.

South African producer and composer Lebohang "Lebo M" Morake, who worked on the original film’s soundtrack, also played a part in this one.  He worked with Beyoncé on a song called Spirit and a new version of Mbube by SA composer Solomon Linda.

Whether the soundtrack will live up to the hype remains to be seen but Beyoncé has big shoes to fill.

 The original soundtrack The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Elton John and Hans Zimmer with various artists still holds the title of the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated film of all time.

Songs like Hakuna Matata, Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight have become synonymous with the film and hold dear memories for many.

The film opens in SA theatres nationwide on Friday.

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The Lion King: The Gift ✨🦁

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TRACK LIST:

01 Beyoncé – Bigger

02 Beyoncé – Find Your Way Back (Circle Of Life)

03 Tekno, Yemi Alade, & Mr. Eazi – Don’t Jealous Me

04 Burna Boy – Ja Ara E

05 Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar – The Nile

06 Beyoncé, Jay-Z, & Childish Gambino – Mood 4 Eva

07 Salatiel, Pharrell & Beyoncé – Water

08 Blue Ivy Carter, St. Jhn, Wizkid, & Beyoncé – Brown Skin Girl

09 Tiwa Savage & Mr. Eazi – Keys To The Kingdom

10 Beyoncé – Otherside

11 Beyoncé & Shatta Wale – Already

12 Tierra Whack, Beyoncé, Busiswa, Yemi Alade & Moonchild Sanelly – My Power

13 070 Shake & Jessie Reyez – Scar

14 Beyoncé – Spirit

 

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