Is Beyoncé a Soprano? Fans React to Operatic Vocals from ‘The Lion King: The Gift’
Beyoncé may have a crazy vocal range, but fans didn’t exactly see it until the premiere of The Lion King: The Gift and the television special Making The Gift. Is this pop diva a soprano? What does she have to say about songs like “Bigger” and the Grammy-nominated song, “Spirit”? Here’s what we learned about this singer, her vocal range, and her most recently-released album.
Beyoncé voiced Nala in Disney’s photo-real adaptation of ‘The Lion King’
This artist is much more than just a singer. In 2019, Beyoncé became one of the voice actors behind the photo-real adaptation of The Lion King. She portrayed adult Nala, alongside Donald Glover (Childish Gambino,) who portrayed adult Simba.
Beyoncé even created an album based on the story of The Lion King, entitled The Lion King: The Gift. In fact, her song “Spirit” earned this artist a Golden Globe nomination for “Best Original Song – Motion Picture” and a handful of Grammy nominations. However, one of the most surprising songs off of this album is “Bigger.”
Beyoncé shared a lot of the production of ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ during her television special
This artist took her involvement one step further, sharing the process behind creating an album. Making the Gift, a documentary special produced and directed by Beyoncé, premiered on ABC after the release of Disney’s photo-real Lion King adaptation.
“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 said during an interview with Good Morning America. “We’ve kind of created our own genre, and I feel like the soundtrack, it becomes visual in your mind. It’s a soundscape. It’s more than just the music because each song tells the story of the film.”
Although this album features artists and producers from Africa, the artist also performs on songs like “Bigger” and “Spirit.” It’s with these songs, for one of the first times, that fans heard Beyoncé’s opera-esque voice.
Is Beyoncé a soprano? What’s her vocal range?
You’ve seen her hit high notes during “Love On Top,” but never like this. During the clip from Making the Gift, Beyoncé is seen recording the song “Bigger,” saying, “So I hear some opera in the background. Could you bring me back to the first verse?” She then proceeds to hit crazy high notes almost effortlessly, time and time again.
Classic FM reports, “proving that she is indeed an operatic mezzo in disguise, the ‘Crazy in Love’ singer follows it up with a stunning scalic passage in F sharp minor before hitting an F sharp an octave higher.”
This is not the first time fans caught a glimpse of Beyoncé’s elusive opera-singing. Before singing “I Care” at her Coachella performance, the artist surprised fans with an interlude, proving her impressive vocal range.
Music by Beyoncé, including The Lion King: The Gift, is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and most streaming platforms.
