The light comes to the dark in Jhené Aiko’s video for “Lead the Way” off the soundtrack to Raya and the Last Dragon.
Jhené travels to the ancient kingdom of Kumandra as she brings the fantasy adventure to life in the magical clip, directed by Carlos López Estrada. The video also features footage from the animated Disney film, which arrives in theaters and Disney+ Friday.
“Lead the Way” was written by Jhené and Oscar-nominated composer James Newton-Howard, and appears in the movie’s end credits. The collaboration was a dream come true for the self-described “Disney kid.”
“The number one thing was I heard dragon, and I love dragons. I have a big dragon tattoo on my back. I was born in ’88, which is the year of the dragon. And I just think it’s a beautiful, mystical creature that is just so many things, symbolizes so many things for me, personally,” she told Apple Music. “I’ve always had this little fantasy of being a Disney princess, voicing one, or like being the character. And so this was the closest that I’ve gotten, so I was pretty excited.”
Next up, Jhené will host the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony on March 14. She is nominated for three Grammys including Album of the Year and Best Progressive R&B Album for Chilombo.
