Beyoncé released the trailer to her new ‘visual album’ titled ‘Black is King’ last Sunday, with Belgium serving as the scene for some of her new music videos.
The visual album, which can be viewed like a film, consists of a collection of images and short clips accompanied by song tracks. The contents are said to be based on Beyoncé’s collaboration with Disney for the latest Lion King film, with many references to (a heritage of) African culture.
It has not yet been revealed which Belgian location(s) will appear in the film.
Parts of the film were directed by Pierre Debusschere, a young director from Brussels, who has worked with Kanye West and Beyoncé before.
Debusschere specialises in visual art, fashion, styling and photography. He was awarded with the title ‘professional of the year’ during the Belgian Fashion Awards in 2019.
The album will feature artists and celebrities like JAY-Z, Naomi Campbell, Pharrell Williams, and Lupita Nyong’o (leading role in Us).
Last month, Beyoncé released the first single of the album on 19 June, or Juneteenth, which is the commemoration day of the end of slavery in the United States. The lyrics of the single, titled 'Black Parade', contain many references to the US’s history of slavery (“I can't forget my history is her story”) and African culture (“growin’ like a Baobab tree”).
In June, Beyoncé was presented with the Humanitarian Award by Michelle Obama at the Black Entertainment Awards-ceremony, in recognition of her activism and philanthropy to encourage social equality and her fight against racism.
Amée Zoutberg
The Brussels Times
