The pop titan announced the album – which is also described as a film – in June, revealing it is based on the music she made for last year’s Lion King remake.
Black Is King, written, directed by and starring Beyonce, boasts a packed cast, including husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.
View this post on Instagramlink in bioA post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jul 30, 2020 at 9:02pm PDT
Already features on soundtrack album The Lion King: The Gift and sees Beyonce teaming up with musical trio Major Lazer and Ghanaian singer Shatta Wale.
The near five-minute music video opens with The Gift track Follow Me (Rafiki Interlude), performed by Donald Glover as Simba and John Kani as Rafiki.
While the interlude is playing, images are shown of dancers – some painted blue – covering their eyes with their hands before Already kicks in and Beyonce appears.
Black Is King is an 85-minute visual album.
On Disney+, it is described as Beyonce “reimagining the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns”.
Beyonce, who voiced lion Nala in Disney’s photorealistic re-telling of The Lion King, has previously discussed how the album is a highly personal project.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jul 29, 2020 at 5:43pm PDT
She said: “With this visual album, I wanted to present elements of Black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy.
“I spent a lot of time exploring and absorbing the lessons of past generations and the rich history of different African customs. While working on this film, there were moments where I’ve felt overwhelmed, like many others on my creative team, but it was important to create a film that instills pride and knowledge.
“I only hope that from watching, you leave feeling inspired to continue building a legacy that impacts the world in an immeasurable way. I pray that everyone sees the beauty and resilience of our people.”
Black Is King is set to start streaming on Disney+ from 8am UK time.
