Blue Ivy Has A Song ~Featuring~ Beyoncé On The New 'Lion King: The Gift' Album
Blue Ivy is top-billed on the Beyoncé-curated Lion King album. That's not a joke. She is literally the lead singer on a song, her name billed above her mother's. Literally. That's a thing we can say now. Is Beyoncé giving her any choice but to be iconic?! Beyoncé's Lion King: The Gift album tracklist was announced on Tuesday, July 16, and the album is a lot like Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther album, in that it was curated entirely by the rapper and features a bunch of mainstream artists. And Blue Ivy's song on Beyonce's Lion King: The Gift album is definitely included.
Beyoncé has done the same with the Lion King: The Gift album, which is a separate body of work from The Lion King remake's soundtrack. ("Spirit," Beyoncé's new single for the film, is on both albums.) This album, which Bey says is a "love letter to Africa," will be released on July 19, the same day The Lion King comes out it in theaters.
In a heavy press day for Bey, the tracklist for the album was announced, along with the announcement that Bey sat down with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts to talk about the soundtrack. The interview will air at 8 p.m. on July 16 on ABC. (Beyoncé was also nominated for six Emmy Awards on July 16 for her Homecoming Netflix special, on top of all of this Lion King news.)
"This soundtrack is a love letter to Africa and I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa, and not just use some of the sounds and did my interpretation of it," Beyoncé says in a clip of her interview with Roberts.
Part of that love letter includes her eldest daughter! Here's the Lion King: The Gift tracklist:
1. “Bigger” — Beyoncé
2. “Find Your Way Back (Circle of Life)” — Beyoncé
3. “Don’t Jealous Me” — Tekno, Yemi Alade, Mr. Eazi
4. “Ja Ara E” — Burna Boy
5. “The Nile” — Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar
6. “Mood 4 Eva” — Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Childish Gambino
7. “Water” — Salatiel, Pharrell, Beyoncé
8. “Brown Skin Girl” — Blue Ivy Carter, SAINt JHN, WizKid, Beyoncé
9. “Keys to the Kingdom” — Tiwa Savage, Mr. Eazi
10. “Otherside” — Beyoncé
11. “Already” — Beyoncé, Shatta Wale
12. “My Power” — Tierra Whack, Beyoncé, Busiswa, Yemi Alade, Moonchild Sanelly
13. “Scar” — 070 Shake, Jessie Reyez
14. “Spirit” — Beyoncé
Check out No. 8 on the album: "Brown Skin Girl," by Blue Ivy Carter, SAINt JHN, WizKid, and Beyoncé. Blue's name is literally listed first on this track, and Beyoncé's is last. Can you believe?! How cool for little Blue to be featured on the album her mother made!
She made her first cameo in Beyoncé's music on the 2013 Beyoncé album (on the song "Blue") when she was just a tiny toddler. She was featured again on Lemonade, at the end of the song "Daddy Lessons." On JAY-Z's album 4:44, she had an entire rap freestyle on the album. Blue was also seen throughout the Homecoming film, during part of which she sings to Bey and other people working on the Coachella show.
So basically, Blue Ivy Carter is six years old and has more professional credits than I do. Honestly, good for her. An icon in training.