ALREADY

"ALREADY" is a song composed by Beyoncé, Toumani Diabaté, Diplo, GuiltyBeatz, the Picard Brothers, Starrah, and Shatta Wale for the 2019 remake of The Lion King. It was released on July 19, 2019, as part of the film's inspired album, The Lion King: The Gift.
==Conception and development==
===The song===
Ghanaian musician Shatta Wale collaborated with American singer Beyoncé and American trio Major Lazer for "ALREADY". The song was included as part of The Lion King: The Gift, an album inspired by the 2019 remake of The Lion King. It was intended to reflect African culture and thematic elements of The Lion King, particularly Simba's identity as a king.
Wale composed and recorded two versions of "ALREADY". The first version was rejected for being too difficult to sing, while the second version was accepted, as listeners could "sing along well" and "get the words." The vocals were sent to Beyoncé, who made some alterations and had Wale record several new verses. Upon hearing Beyoncé's version of the song, Wale noted that she sounded like an "African girl" and so made an effort to mimic her style.
Due to no restrictions in his language choice, Wale opted to use a combination of English and Nigerian Pidgin lyrics. To honor Ghanaian culture, he styled the song after "dance-offs" and "hip life."
===The music video===
Zerina Akers, the costume designer for Black Is King, explained how she wanted to use the fashion of the film to "reference different cultures, traditions, and tribes, but to have the freedom to create fantasy, for people to be able to escape into a new world." The "ALREADY" music video included several traditional African costumes, including a 5:31 Jérôme blue Nigerian lace trench dress with an accompanying Nigerian gele, which was inspired by the fashion of matriarchal women at Nigerian weddings. Another costume, a Burberry cow-print top and skirt, was inspired by the Xhosa and Zulu peoples of South Africa, who use the hide of Nguni cattle in their shields. Akers collaborated with American fashion designer Natalia Fedner for a gold chain headpiece covered in gold earrings of various styles and sizes. "I wanted to have this conversation about the idea of gold as it relates to the African diaspora," Akers stated. "For many of us black women, it's our first piece of jewelry and our first look into opulence."
For the hairstyles in Black Is King, Beyoncé and hairstylist Neal Farinah aimed to offer insight into various African cultures. In the "ALREADY" music video, Beyoncé sported a hairstyle inspired by the horned heads and lip plates of the Dinka and Mursi peoples, who wear them as symbols of prestige and honor. Another hairstyle used Bantu knots to pay respect to the Zulu people, with an ankh symbol in the center to symbolize life as in ancient Egyptian culture.
After the release of "ALREADY", the Accra-based dance school Dance With Purpose (DWP) Academy submitted choreography for the song, and it went viral. Beyoncé reposted the video to her Instagram story and reached out to DWP to recruit them for Black Is King. For the choreography of the "ALREADY" music video, Caleb Bonney and Stephen Ojo of dance group AVO (Africa's Very Own) Boyz worked with American choreographer JaQuel Knight. They showed their choreography to Beyoncé and taught her several dance styles from throughout Africa, such as the Gbese, Poco, and Kpakujemu from Nigeria, the C'est Moi from Ivory Coast, and the network from Ghana. The scene in which men in suits jump up and down in unison was a nod to the adumu Maasai jumping dance of Kenya and Tanzania, a ceremony in which men in a circle compete for who can jump the highest with a straight posture. Ojo explained that his intention was to "make sure the moves we were bringing out were properly represented and danced in the right way. I wanted to make sure Africa was being represented properly and not diluted."
In order to reflect the Circle of Life theme from The Lion King, Beyoncé featured Ugo Rondinone's sun sculptures throughout the "ALREADY" music video, as they symbolize rebirth and renewal.
The music video for "ALREADY" was primarily filmed in Ghana, specifically the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions. According to Ghanaian producer Sharifah Issaka, the cast and crew deliberately chose locations that they deemed to be unrepresented in depictions of Ghana. This included Shatta Wale's hometown, Nima.
==Release==
"ALREADY" was released on July 19, 2019, as part of The Lion King: The Gift, an album inspired by the 2019 remake of The Lion King. Beyoncé, Major Lazer, and Shatta Wale performed the song.
Black Is King, a film inspired by The Lion King: The Gift, was released on July 31, 2020. The official music video for "ALREADY", which featured Beyoncé and Wale, premiered in the film. On the same day as the film's release, the music video was released on Beyoncé's YouTube channel.
==Lyrics==
Beyoncé:
Long live the king
You a king, you know it
King already
Already, you know it
Top everything
Everything, you know it
King already
Already, you know it
Mind, body, soul
Got a king body
Body gon' shine
Bling bling body
Callin' all the shots
Ring ring body
Crown on your head
Got a king body
Long live the king
You a king, you know it
King already
My baby, you know it
Top everything
Everything, you know it
King already
Already, you know it
Shine already
It's time already
In line already
It's time already
Shine already
It's time already
In line already
It's time already
Shatta Wale:
Try to stop it, me say no, no, no
Royalty say don't you know, know, know
Try to stop it, me say go, go, go, go
Bubble up and watch it grow, grow, grow, grow
Every king be ruler, be ruler, yeah
Every warrior dey conquer, yeah
Every king be stronger, yeah
King to rule dem longer, yeah
(Osh)
Remember who you are, ooh
(Osh)
Real king always win, ooh
(Osh)
Give up your bread, ooh
(Osh)
And show your people more love
(Osh)
It's time already
I say it's time already
(Osh)
In line already
I say in line already
(Osh)
Only you got the remedy
I say you got the remedy
(Osh)
Shine your body
Shine your body
Beyoncé:
Long live the king
You a king, you know it
King already
Already, you know it
Top everything
Everything, you know it
King already
Already, you know it
Mind, body, soul
Got a king body
Body gon' shine
Bling bling body
Callin' all the shots
Ring ring body
Crown on your head
Got a king body
Long live the king
You a king, you know it
King already
My baby, you know it
Top everything
Everything, you know it
King already
Already, you know it
Shine already
(Already)
It's time already
(Already)
In line already
(Already)
It's time already
(Already)
Shine already
(Already)
It's time already
(Already)
In line already
(Already)
It's time already
Shatta Wale:
Shine already
(Already)
It's time already
(Already)
In line already
(Already)
It's time already
(Already)
Shine already
(Already)
It's time already
(Already)
In line already
(Already)
It's time already
Try to stop it, me say no, no, no
Royalty say don't you know, know, know
Try to stop it, me say go, go, go, go
Bubble up and watch it grow, grow, grow, grow
Beyoncé:
Diamonds on my fist
Fighting demons, y'all
Come and rest your head
Take your crown off, oh
Woke up in a foreign
Need to take it slow, oh
He said I'm moving too fast
Need to take it slow, oh
Take it slow, oh
Take it slow, oh
Tryna take my baby home, oh
Take it slow, oh
Shatta Wale:
(Osh)
Remember who you are, ooh
(Osh)
Real king always win, ooh
(Osh)
Give up your bread, ooh
(Osh)
And show your people more love
(Osh)
It's time already
I say it's time already
(Osh)
In line already
I say in line already
(Osh)
Only you got the remedy
I say you got the remedy
(Osh)
Shine your body
Shine your body
Ahhh
Be your own king
Make nobody come rule your world
Yo, yo, yo, yo
Be your own king
Make nobody come rule your world
Ahhh
Be your own king
Make nobody come rule your world
Yo, yo, yo, yo
Be your own king
Make nobody come rule your world
Long live the king
You a king, you know it
Top everything
Everything, you know it
Show dem the way, you know it
You know it
You know it
==Awards and nominations==
Award	
Outcome	
2020 UK Music Video Awards	
2020 UK Music Video Awards	
2020 UK Music Video Awards
Best R&B/Soul Video – International	
Nominated	
Best Styling in a Video	
Won	
Best Choreography in a Video	
Nominated	
2020 All Africa Music Awards	
2020 All Africa Music Awards	
2020 All Africa Music Awards
Best Collaboration	
Nominated	
2020 Soul Train Music Awards	
2020 Soul Train Music Awards	
2020 Soul Train Music Awards
Best Dance Performance	
Nominated	
2020 African Entertainment Awards USA	
2020 African Entertainment Awards USA	
2020 African Entertainment Awards USA
Best Collaboration	
Won	
Song of the Year	
Nominated	
2020 MVPA Awards	
2020 MVPA Awards	
2020 MVPA Awards
Best R&B/Soul Video	
Nominated	
Best Styling in a Video	
Won	
Best Production Design in a Video	
Nominated	
Best Choreography in a Video	
Nominated	
Best Editing in a Video	
Nominated	
2021 MTV Video Music Awards	
2021 MTV Video Music Awards	
2021 MTV Video Music Awards
Best Art Direction	
Nominated	
==Trivia==
* "ALREADY" was the first song from The Lion King: The Gift to be released as a stand-alone music video.
* The opening vocals of "ALREADY" were used in an official trailer for Black Is King.
==Media==
Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – ALREADY (Official Video)|The official music video for "ALREADY"
==References==
Category:The Lion King: The Gift
Category:Real world
Category:Songs