Jennifer Hudson and Carole King Team Up for New Single Written for Aretha Franklin Biopic “RESPECT”
Jennifer Hudson has teamed up with Carole King for a new original song. The song was written for Hudson’s new Aretha Franklin biopic, RESPECT.
Entitled “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)”, the song was also produced by will.i.am and also co-written by Jamie Hartman. When asked about the collaboration, Hudson revealed, “Music is such a living and breathing character in this film, as it was in Ms. Franklin’s life. The process of creating this song was like constructing the greatest tribute I could possibly offer to her spirit.
It was the final exhale of this extraordinary project and one that I let out with complete fulfillment. Being able to do so with Carole and Jamie was an incredible privilege. Carole is one of the greatest songwriters of all time and, whether we were trading stories, playing piano together over video conference, or working through lyrics, it was always a masterclass – both in life and music.
Jamie and I have collaborated together in the past and it’s always so wonderful to create with him – he is continuously thinking outside of the box in a way that deepens the musical experience in indescribable ways. Our goal was to show that music was always the anchor for Ms. Franklin, in all that she did, and I hope this song illustrates the strength of her voice – both literally and figuratively – which always brought her home.”
The song will be released this Friday, June 18. You can pre-order it here. It will also be featured on the film’s original soundtrack and can be pre-ordered here. Both the film and the album will be released on August 13.