Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King was released in 2020.
The project premiered on Disney+ on July 31, 2020, and was written, directed, and executive produced by Beyoncé. It reinterprets the music from The Lion King: The Gift, the companion album she created for the 2019 film The Lion King.
Black Is King uses music videos, choreography, fashion, and symbolic imagery to present a story centered on African identity, ancestry, family, and cultural connection. Its visual style draws on artists and creative traditions from multiple African countries and the African diaspora.
The project is not the same as The Lion King: The Gift. That album was released in 2019, while Black Is King is the later visual work built around its songs. The distinction matters because the two releases are closely linked but have different formats and release dates.