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Yemi Aladecan still feel Beyoncé’s halo.
The “Don’t Jealous Me” singer—who was featured on the “Single Ladies” singer’s Black is Kingfilm and The Lion King: The Gift album—shared how her collaboration with Queen Bey has had a lasting impact on her career.
“Working on Black is Kingin 2020 will forever have an impact on my life,” Yemi told E! News in an exclusive interview, “for the rest of my life.”
As a self-proclaimed “big Beyoncé fan,” the 36-year-old revealed collaborating with theDreamgirlsactress was “one of the things that I had written as a desire for myself” and “it definitely changed my life.”
In terms of the cultural impact, Yemi felt that Black is King“needed to happen when it happened.” Afrobeats, amapiano and other genres from the African continent have grown more of a global fanbase since the film’s premiere.
“Audiences around the world are excited for the music,” the songwriter explained. “It doesn't matter sometimes if you don't even understand the words, the melodies, the tune, the rhythms—somehow our bodies are tuned to vibrations, and we understand the emotion that has been put in the words.”
This July will mark five years since the musical film was released, which, along with Yemi, featured appearances from a star-studded lineup of African artists from across the globe, such as Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Shatta Wale, Mr. Eazi, Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter, Tina Knowles, Pharrell Williams, Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell and Lupita N’yongo.
Parkwood Entertainment
For Yemi—who set the world ablaze with her 2014 hit “Johnny” and continues to champion Nigerian culture—Beyoncé and the Parkwood team’s lineup of collaborators were obviously not chosen lightly.
“I'm grateful that Beyoncé and her team carefully selected people based on merit. It wasn't a cooked-up list of names,” she continued. “They really put a lot of thought into it.”
And that’s why Yemi was more than happy to witness the "Texas Hold ‘Em" singer finally take home the Album of the Year award for Cowboy Carter at the 2025 Grammys ceremony.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“She deserved that and more,” she gushed. “As a woman, [as] a family woman, as a career-driven lady and everything that she stands for—and to be competing against these young guys and still win—it's always something to be inspired by.”
And while Yemi admitted that it’s been a minute since the pair has seen each other, she looks forward to future collaborations.
“Working with Beyoncé will always be on the table,” Yemi told E!. “She's still in the studio. I'm always in the studio as well. Why can't we get in the studio again?”
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
For now, fans can enjoy the Afrobeats musician’s latest song, “You Are” from the Cartoon Network and Max Nigerian animated series Iyanu. And as far as this new track and her future work goes, the singer insisted she has no plans to stray from her roots.
“I think the majority of my entire career will still be about African sound and African culture,” the activist shared. “It would just always be the flag that I'll be flying.”
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Parkwood Entertainment, Disney+
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Parkwood Entertainment, Instagram
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