The Color Purple Star Fantasia Sings With Her Younger Self in Superpower (I) Music

Posted by Reinaldo Massengill on Friday, May 31, 2024

The music video for Fantasia’s “Superpower (I)” from “The Color Purple” is here.

“Superpower (I),” written and produced by The-Dream (Rihanna, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey), is performed by Fantasia during the musical film’s end credits. The track is shortlisted for the best original song Oscar, as is the film’s “Keep It Movin.’”

Directed by Taylor Fauntleroy (Kane Brown, Orville Peck and Kid Cudi), the video features Fantasia singing the powerful track with her younger self, made possible with the use of AI technology. Fantasia, dressed in a sparkly silver and black gown, sings with her 19-year-old self in the red dress she wore for her 2004 “American Idol” performance of “Summertime.” The soaring ballad is an anthem that comes to symbolize Fantasia’s 20-year career from reality competition star to the award-winning lead of “The Color Purple.”

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“Not only is this a song that is so meaningful to the story of ‘The Color Purple,’ it’s also a song that speaks to my personal life experience,” Fantasia says. “Celie is a character I hold close to my heart as I understand her profoundly. What an honor to have The-Dream write her song – our song – and I hope it moves you in the way it immensely moved me.”

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The video’s visual effects supervisor is Jo Plaete of generative AI company Metaphysic. The video was released by Warner Bros. Pictures, WaterTower Music and gamma.

During the first Q&A for the movie in November, moderated by Variety’s Angelique Jackson, Fantasia recalled recording the song. “I cried the whole second verse. I said to The-Dream, ‘It’s almost like you met me before,’” Fantasia said. “I wanted to pick his brain because I wanted to know, ‘Why did you write it?’ He said, ‘I followed you through your good and your bad. I’m a Southern man. I got roots in North Carolina … I followed you and I believe that you had superpowers that you didn’t see back then.’

“So it was hard for me to record that record because a lot of us don’t see our superpowers when we’re going through what we’re going through,” she continued. “But I see it now.”

“The Color Purple,” directed by Blitz Bazawule, is adapted from the 2015 Tony-winning revival. Fantasia stars alongside Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo and Halle Bailey. An expanded soundtrack, “The Color Purple (Music From and Inspired By),” includes 21 new songs in addition to 16 taken from the Broadway musical. A third album features the film’s original score by composer Kris Bowers. All three albums were produced by Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders and Larry Jackson.

Watch the video for “Superpower (I)” below.

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