Director Gina Prince-Bythewood said African music will sit at the heart of her upcoming film Children of Blood and Bone, with Tems playing what the director called a historic role in shaping the movie's sound, AllHipHop reported. Prince-Bythewood and star Thuso Mbedu discussed the film and its soundtrack during a conversation at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Atlanta, moderated by KTLA's Jasmine Simpkins.
"I love music and I write to music," Prince-Bythewood said. "Every film I do, everything I write, I create a playlist of songs that open me up emotionally when I'm writing." For this Paramount Pictures film, that playlist leaned heavily on Afrobeats and African music.
Two songs in particular shaped the script as she wrote it. "There were two artists and two songs in particular that became, like, on repeat," Prince-Bythewood said. "And the first was Tems's 'Try Me.' Incredible song, and it spoke so clearly to Zelie," the film's protagonist, played by Mbedu. "And then 'Alone' by Burna Boy spoke incredibly to Inan," the character played by Damson Idris.
That connection led Prince-Bythewood to ask for more than a licensed track. "I knew, like, I want them on the soundtrack," she said. "And actually, not even that. I want Tems to curate the soundtrack because I love her work so much." A meeting with Tems resulted in an immediate agreement: the Grammy-winning Nigerian star became executive music producer and curator of the soundtrack, with Burna Boy serving as an executive music consultant, and Tems contributing three new songs to the project.
Prince-Bythewood called Tems's role groundbreaking. "She's the first woman to do this, which is staggering," the director said. "She killed it. There are no skips on this." Prince-Bythewood also named Ayra Starr, BNXN and Fireboy DML among the artists involved, with a writing camp held in Ghana featuring producers GuiltyBeatz and P2J.
Jazz trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard, known for his collaborations with Spike Lee, will score the film separately, combining orchestral composition with African instrumentation.
Based on Tomi Adeyemi's bestselling 2018 novel, Children of Blood and Bone follows Zelie Adebola as she fights to restore magic taken from her people in the fictional kingdom of Orisha. Prince-Bythewood co-wrote the screenplay with Adeyemi, and the cast includes Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, Tosin Cole, Cynthia Erivo, Lashana Lynch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Regina King and Viola Davis.
The film, shot in South Africa, opens in theaters and IMAX on January 15, 2027. Its first trailer arrived in July, offering an early look at Mbedu's Zelie and the world of Orisha ahead of this week's soundtrack news.
The facts
- Children of Blood and Bone opens in theaters and IMAX on January 15, 2027
- Tems serves as executive music producer and curator of the soundtrack, contributing three new songs
- Burna Boy serves as executive music consultant; Ayra Starr, BNXN and Fireboy DML also featured
- Terence Blanchard scores the film separately, blending orchestral and African instrumentation
- Writing camp for the soundtrack held in Ghana with producers GuiltyBeatz and P2J
- Cast includes Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba and Viola Davis
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