Grammy winner Janelle Monae is lending her voice to Disney’s live-action “Lady and the Tramp” reboot,according to Variety, in addition contributing new music.
The singer is working with Wondaland collective members Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur on a new interpretation of “The Siamese Cat Song,” originally written and performed by Peggy Lee.
The track and the two conniving Siamese cats who sing the lyrics, Si and Am, have long been considered to racist.
“Si and Am move in perfect symmetry; they have no individuality; their innocent blue eyes bend into a sinister glare as they cave at the slant,” wrote Marcus Hunter in a 2013 Flavorwire article. “They are jaundiced and sly; sick and feral; domesticated, though nevertheless propelled by their mischievous, impish nature to deceive and intimidate.”
“Lady & the Tramp” centers on “an upper-middle-class American cocker spaniel named Lady who meets a streetsmart, downtown stray mongrel called the Tramp [as they] embark on many romantic adventures”
Monae will perform two original songs for the film, working on different take for the cats, who will receive a makeover for new film.
“We’re dealing with Wondaland, her team of incredibly creative writers and producers that she works with. So our director has engaged with her in terms of what the storytelling [of] the song needs to be,” Kaylin Frank, a vice president in Creative Music and Soundtracks at Disney, said at the recent MUSEXPO Creative Summit in Burbank, Calif.
“Lady & the Tramp” will arrive to the Disney+ streaming service on November 12, 2019, with Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux in the title roles.
