UPDATE: July 19, 2020—A new trailer for Beyoncé's Black Is King visual album is here—and it's one minute and 22 seconds of goosebumps-inducing cinema.
"You, who were formed by the heat of the galaxy," Beyoncé says at the start of the intro. "What a thing to be, both unique and familiar. To be one and the same and still like any other." The poetry!
The trailer featured cameos from Lupita Nyong'o, Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland, and Naomi Campbell, but there's even more to come. Who else can't wait for July 31?
ORIGINAL POST: June 28, 2020—
Beyoncé, who blessed us with Homecoming in 2019 and Lemonade in 2016, has announced her next visual experience for 2020: Black Is King on Disney+.
Black Is King, based on the music from the Lion King: The Gift soundtrack, is a virtual album written, produced, and directed by Beyoncé that will debut on July 31, 2020—one year after the singer voiced Nala in the Disney remake.
The film weaves “a tale of a young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love, and self-identity,” according to a press release from the streaming service. “His ancestors help guide him toward his destiny, and with his father’s teachings and guidance from his childhood love, he earns the virtues needed to reclaim his home and throne.”
Beyoncé released the trailer on June 28 on her website, and we already have chills.
“A journey is a gift,” the singer says in the teaser before a montage of stunning footage.
According to Variety, Black Is King will include appearances by Blue Ivy Carter, Jay-Z, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, and many more special guests.
“Black Is King is a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience,” the announcement said. “The film is a story for the ages that informs and rebuilds the present. A reunion of cultures and shared generational beliefs. A story of how the people left most broken have an extraordinary gift and a purposeful future.
“These timeless lessons are revealed and reflected through Black voices of today, now sitting in their own power,” the statement continued. “Black Is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture. The film highlights the beauty of tradition and Black excellence.”
This announcement comes shortly after Beyoncé dropped the surprise single “Black Parade” on Juneteenth to benefit BeyGOOD’s Black Business Impact Fund.
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“Happy Juneteenth,” Beyonce.com read under the Black Parade Route page. “Being Black is your activism. Black excellence is a form of protest. Black joy is your right.”
We have a feeling Beyoncé will continue to spread a lot of joy with Black Is King.
