Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free
Beyoncé has released a striking music video for “Spirit”, her new single which features on the soundtrack of Disney’s The Lion King
“Spirit” is the first single from Beyoncé’s album Lion King: The Gift , and the music video sees the singer performing in a desert landscape accompanied by a backing choir and dancers clad in matching lime green and magenta costumes.
The video mixes shots of Beyoncé with exceptionally real-looking live-action footage from the film. Check it out below…
Beyoncé, who voices Nala in the hotly anticipated film, said: “I feel like the soundtrack becomes visual in your mind. It’s a soundscape.”
She told ABC
Show all 18 1 /18All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King Beyoncé is first seen in the 'Spirit' music video wearing a pink and red ruffled gown, a possible homage to the iconic sunset with which the video and The Lion King both open.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The star is surrounded by dancers in clay red ensembles and her eldest daughter Blue Ivy. The seven-year-old wears a similar dress to her mother, and her hair is dyed a dusky shade of red.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King Much of the music video involves Beyoncé mimicking her natural surroundings, as can been seen here as she stands in front of a waterfall wearing a royal blue gown.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The singer lies in a body of water while clad in blue, further emphasising the connection between her looks and her setting.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The star, who plays Nala in the 2019 live-action reboot of The Lion King appears to dress like a zebra, wearing a black and white ensemble while surrounded by singers dressed in bright pink and green. This scene is immediately followed by a clip from the film, in which a young Simba and Nala race through a flock of flamingos.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King Beyoncé stands out from her backing singers and dancers as she walks amongst them, the only black and white aspect of the composition.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The star looks ethereal in a sheer pink gown, surrounded by a faint, pink mist.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The vivacity of the colours in the 'Spirit' music video are brought to the forefront of this scene, as Beyoncé walks alone in a fuchsia gown in a desert landscape.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The multi-award winning artist wears a lime green dress, while her dancers behind her don slightly paler green outfits. The star accessorises with large gold hoops, cuffs and rings, and wears her hair in braids similar to the ones she wore in her 'Formation' music video.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The singer and her troupe mimic the rocky landscape in front of which they are dancing, creating fluid movements with their bodies in perfect unison.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King Beyoncé and her dancers stand in a body of water, their bright red outfits contrasting with the dark green shades of the trees and surrounding foliage.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The singer leans up against a bare tree in her red netted dress, a red, rocky landscape visible in the background.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The Tree of Life in The Lion King is a thick baobab tree, and is the dwelling of the spiritual mandrill Rafiki. Here, Beyoncé stands in front of a white tree, dressed in a matching embellished, white gown with a netted train. Her dancers sit in two lines at her feet, as though they are the tree's roots.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King Beyoncé adds to her already ornate outfit with a white beaded face mask.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The star dances vigorously in a white, feathered outfit, as snapshots of the scene in The Lion King in which Scar and Simba battle one another are shown.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The Emmy-nominated singer dons a calming shade of midnight blue, matching the soothing blue shade of the sky.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King Beyoncé's jumpsuit is designed with tassles on the sleeves, a feature which is displayed as the star raises her arms to the sky.
YouTube/Beyoncé
All the looks from Beyoncé's 'Spirit' music video from The Lion King The star wears a coral-orange pleated gown, matching the orange-coloured rock surface in the background of the composition.
YouTube/Beyoncé
Parts of the music video were shot at Havasu Falls in Arizona, according to USA Today
Lion King: The Gift is out on Friday 19 July, the same day the movie, The Lion King , hits cinemas.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies