Dubai, UAE - Aug 1, 2020
OSN, the region’s leading entertainment network, will be the exclusive home to Beyoncé’s highly anticipated visual album, “Black Is King”, airing from 1st August on the OSN streaming app. “Black Is King”,will premiere globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020 and will arrive on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the theatrical release of Disney’s global phenomenon “The Lion King.”
Based on the music of “The Lion King: The Gift”, the visual album from Beyoncé reimagines the lessons from the 2019 blockbuster for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns.
“Black Is King” was in production for one year and features an impressive list of diverse voices on its creative team, including directors Emmanuel Adjei (the film “Shahmaran”), Blitz Bazawule (the film “The Burial of Kojo”), Pierre Debusschere (“Mine” and “Ghost” videos for Beyoncé), Jenn Nkiru (“BLACK TO TECHNO” film), Ibra Ake (creative director and producer on “This is America” video for Childish Gambino), Dikayl Rimmasch (“CACHAO, UNO MAS” film), Jake Nava (“Crazy in Love,” “Single Ladies,” “Partition” videos for Beyoncé) and co-director and long-time collaborator of Beyoncé, Kwasi Fordjour.
The list of additional co-directors and second unit directors adds to the crew’s global representation, including Dafe Oboro, Julian Klincewicz, Derek Milton, Meji Alabi, Joshua Kissi, Alexandre Moors and Deon Van Zyl.
Filmed in various locations, the visual album’s cinematography captures beautiful people and landscapes across continents, starting in New York, then Los Angeles, South Africa, West Africa, London and Belgium. From all those places came an extraordinary cast of actors and dancers that influenced the visual album’s rich tableau and vibrant choreography.
The new trailer provides a glimpse of some of the special guests in the visual album. They include models Aweng Ade-Chuol and Adut Akech, supermodel Naomi Campbell, Tina Knowles-Lawson, author and Academy Award®-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o, singer Kelly Rowland, Pharrell Williams and JAY-Z, among others. Many artists featured on “The Lion King: The Gift” album also make appearances.
A celebratory memoir for the world on the black experience, “Black Is King” includes full-length videos for the songs “Already,” “Brown Skin Girl,” “Mood 4 Eva” and “My Power,” which is heard in the new trailer.
Rolla Karam, Interim Chief Content Officer at OSN said: “OSN’s strategy is informed by the wants and needs of our customers and, to compete on a regional level with global content providers, we bring world class entertainment to viewers in the Middle East. We are thrilled to bring Black Is King exclusively to viewers in the region, through our partnership with Disney. We are sure this visual album will delight and fascinate audiences across the world and are proud to be able to bring this to viewers in the region.”
The visual album is available to watch on the OSN streaming app from 1st August.
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