The trio of Grammy Award nominations for Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift represent an important addition to DJ Lag’s growing number of producer accolades.
Beyoncé was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album (The Lion King: The Gift),Best Pop Solo Performance (“Spirit”) and Best Song Written For Visual Media (“Spirit”). She also received a nomination for Homecoming (Best Music Film), in the process becoming the first female musician to hit 70 total Grammy nominations.
The Lion King: The Gift is the companion album to the CGI remake of The Lion King and includes the DJ Lag-produced track, “My Power” which Pitchfork described as “searing”. “The Gift is thrilling because of the diasporic connections being made through collaboration,” said the highly regarded online magazine in July. “This works best on tracks like “My Power,” where rap weirdo Tierra Whack and Top 40 songwriter Nija join forces with South African gqom badasses Busiswa and Moonchild Sanelly for a searing DJ Lag-produced track about black girl determination and resilience”.
Being chosen to work on The Lion King: The Gift has opened new doors for DJ Lag. He was invited to join the Recording Academy in June when he was in Los Angeles to produce for Beyoncé. Becoming a member of the world’s leading society of music professionals meant he was able to submit the first gqom record to the academy this year – yet another milestone in a ground-breaking career.
