Beyoncé has released her new visual album Black Is King, via Disney. The project is written, directed, and executive produced by Beyoncé and features appearances by JAY-Z, Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Lupita Nyong’o, and more, in addition to Bey herself.
Black Is King is based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift—the companion album Beyoncé made for Disney’s “live-action”
In the film, dance sequences, Lion King samples, and footage of Black families around the world are interspersed with sequences in which Beyoncé traverses a beach, reciting details of a generations-spanning spiritual journey.
According to a press release, Black Is King “reimagines the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns” and is “a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience.”
It was filmed across locations in New York, Los Angeles, South Africa, West Africa, London, and Belgium.
