Lin-Manuel Miranda Breaks Down ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Songs — and How He Convinced Barry Jenkins to Add the Villain Anthem ‘Bye Bye’

variety.com:

Angelique Jackson SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses plot details for “Mufasa: The Lion King,” in theaters on Dec.

20. Lin-Manuel Miranda knows his way around a Disney tune. After winning Grammys and earning Oscar nods for his “Moana” and “Encanto” songs (including “How Far I’ll Go,” “Dos Oruguitas” and, of course, the viral earworm “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”), Miranda teamed up with famed composer Alan Menken to contribute to the soundtrack for 2023’s live-action “The Little Mermaid.” Now, he’s written a half-dozen new songs for the Barry Jenkins-directed “Lion King” prequel “Mufasa.” Because Miranda is well-versed in all things Magic Kingdom, there’s perhaps no one better prepared to continue the musical legacy of “The Lion King.” The original 1994 film has such memorable hits as “Circle of Life,” “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” “That original album is like an all-bangers, no skips album,” Miranda said, with obvious reverence for the Elton John and Tim Rice-written tracks, during a recent visit to “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” The “Mufasa” soundtrack kicks off with “Ngomso,” performed by Lebo M, the South African artists whose distinctive vocals are synonymous with “The Lion King,” followed Miranda’s songs performed by the film’s voice cast, led by Aaron Pierre (as a young Mufasa) and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (as his adopted brother Taka, who will be known as Scar).

Miranda has said his kids — sons Sebastian and Francisco — are beta testers for a song’s success. So which songs are they singing nonstop? “’I Always Wanted a Brother,’” Miranda tells Variety, with no hesitation.