Jhené Aiko released her new song for the upcoming Disney movie, Raya and the Last Dragon.
For many artists in the industry, there is a figure that they keep in mind as the bar to be living the real dream. For others, it’s a luxurious whip or a certain number of acres. Though if you are Jhené Aiko, you are far easier to please as a vocal spot in a Disney movie would be considered a much bigger deal. The Grammy Award-nominated singer is a longtime Disney fan, and so when she was afforded the opportunity to be on the soundtrack for an upcoming animated movie, she couldn’t have been more thrilled.
Jhené released her new song “Lead The Way” for the Raya and the Last Dragon soundtrack on Friday (Feb. 26). The movie, which is slated to arrive on Disney+ and in theatres on March 5, is about dragons and humans living in harmony and fighting against some monstrosity of a creature together. This couldn’t have been more suited for Jhené Aiko, who says she is a dragon lover herself, and she has the tattoo to prove it.
“The number one thing was I heard dragon, and I love dragons. I have a big dragon tattoo on my back. I was born in ’88, which is the year of the dragon. And I just think it’s a beautiful, mystical creature that is just so many things, symbolizes so many things for me, personally,” the singer told Apple Music. “I’ve always had this little fantasy of being a Disney princess, voicing one, or like being the character. And so this was the closest that I’ve gotten, so I was pretty excited.”
The Chilombo singer whose album is nominated for two Grammys this year says she is both a fan of dragons and a fan of Disney, which makes this project a dream come true for her. “I wanted to make Disney proud, because I grew up on Disney,” Aiko said. “And yeah, it’s special. Where I live right now, they’re just put up a big billboard for the movie. So I was just like, ‘Look at that. Look at life.’ Just happy.”
“Lead The Way” was written by Jhené Aiko and Oscar-nominated composer James Newton-Howard and will play during the credits at the end of the movie. The singer will also be releasing an official music video for the track directed by the movie director, Carlos López Estrada, next month.
