Today, 24th June, lauded singer, songwriter, and musician H.E.R. releases a joyous new take on Sly and The Family Stone’s 1967 anthem ‘Dance To The Music’, produced by 2022 Grammy Producer of the Year Jack Antonoff. Featuring H.E.R.’s unmistakable R&B vocals paired with funky basslines, wailing saxophones and psychedelic synths, this cover is the latest track from 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.
Listen to ‘Dance To The Music’ by H.E.R. and pre-order the soundtrack here.
Over the course of five years – with 21 Grammy nominations and 5 wins to date – singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist H.E.R. has had an incredible journey, punctuated with inspiring projects and accolades that have quickly ascended her to superstar status. In 2021, she released her full-length album ‘Back of My Mind’ and was awarded the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for ‘I Can’t Breathe’ and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Fight for You’ from the film Judas and the Black Messiah. This song also won Best Traditional R&B Performance at the recent 2022 Grammy Awards.
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 features a star-studded line-up, celebrating 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 as well as 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.
Listen to ‘Dance To The Music’ by H.E.R. and pre-order the soundtrack here.
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.
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