Decca Records announce the original motion picture soundtrack for Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the new action-comedy from the biggest animated franchise in history, set for release on Friday 1st July to coincide with the film’s global theatrical release.
Set in the 1970s, Minions: The Rise of Gru tells the origin story of how Gru (Oscar nominee Steve Carell), the world’s greatest supervillain, first met his iconic Minions, forged cinema’s most despicable crew and faced off against the most unstoppable criminal force ever assembled.
The funk-fuelled soundtrack, produced by 2022 Grammy Producer of the Year Jack Antonoff, features a star-studded line-up. Following the recent release of her 2021 hit album ‘Thank You’, Diana Ross ft. Tame Impala leads the way with the joyous, dance-inducing first single ‘Turn Up The Sunshine’ (out on Friday 20th May and available to pre-save here).
The soundtrack celebrates a range of dazzling funk, disco and soul classics with brand-new versions of some of the biggest hits of the 1970s from some of today’s hottest talent. From St. Vincent’s new take on Lipps Inc’s 1979 hit Funkytown and H.E.R.’s rendition of Sly and The Family Stone’s 1967 smash Dance to the Music, to Bleachers version of John Lennon’s 1970 track Instant Karma! and Phoebe Bridgers’ interpretation of The Carpenters’ 1972 single Goodbye To Love, every track has been reimagined by each artist with ingenious results.
And of course, Illumination’s Minions themselves star on the album, with their distinctive performance of the classic Simon & Garfunkel 1970s favourite, Cecilia.
The soundtrack’s executive producer, Jack Antonoff, is a globally celebrated singer, songwriter and record producer and is the lead vocalist of rock band Bleachers. As a songwriter and producer, Antonoff, who, in 2021, was credited by the BBC for having “redefined pop music,” has collaborated with the likes of Diana Ross, Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent, Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, Kevin Abstract and many more. This work has seen Antonoff collect numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards, most recently winning the 2022 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.
Both in and out of the cinema, this sun-soaked 70’s inspired soundtrack is guaranteed to have you Gru-ving all summer long.
Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be released digitally, on 3-panel CD digipack, standard black double LP, yellow & blue splattered double LP, yellow cassette and a limited-edition picture disc via Decca Records on 1st July 2022. Pre-order here.
Minions: The Rise of Gru – Tracklisting:
- Turn Up The Sunshine – Diana Ross ft. Tame Impala
- Shining Star – Brittany Howard ft. Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire 1975)
- Funkytown – St. Vincent (Lipps Inc in 1979)
- Hollywood Swinging – BROCKHAMPTON (Kool & The Gang 1974)
- Desafinado – Kali Uchis (Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto 1959)
- Bang Bang – Caroline Polachek (Nancy Sinatra 1966)
- Fly Like an Eagle – Thundercat (Steve Miller Band 1976)
- Goodbye To Love – Phoebe Bridgers (The Carpenters 1972)
- Instant Karma! – Bleachers (John Lennon 1970)
- You’re No Good – Weyes Blood (Linda Ronstadt 1975)
- Vehicle – Gary Clark Jr. (The Ides of March 1970)
- Dance to the Music – H.E.R. (Sly and The Family Stone 1967)
- Black Magic Woman – Tierra Whack (Santana 1970)
- Cool – Verdine White
- Born To Be Alive – Jackson Wang (Patrick Hernandez 1979)
- Cecilia – The Minions (Simon & Garfunkel 1970)
- Bang Bang – G.E.M. (Nancy Sinatra 1966)
- Kung Fu Suite – RZA
- Minions: The Rise of Gru Score Suite – Heitor Pereira