Why Beyoncé rejected my verse on The Lion King: The Gift — Adekunle Gold

 Nigerian Afrobeats singer Adekunle Kosoko, popularly known as Adekunle Gold, has revealed how his contribution to Beyoncé’s 2019 album, The Lion King: The Gift, was rejected, describing the experience as one of the darkest moments of his career.

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The 38-year-old singer recalled that the opportunity came at a time when he was grieving the death of his father. According to him, he had been consumed by sorrow when Beyoncé’s team reached out, inviting him to submit a song for the star-studded project that would later feature Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Tekno, and Mr Eazi.

“At the time, I was too consumed by grief to even think about music. But one day I forced myself back into the studio. Out of that pain, I wrote Simile,” Adekunle recounted.

Despite pouring his emotions into the track, Adekunle confessed he secretly wished the song would not be chosen, fearing that it reflected too much of his personal turmoil. Eventually, the song did not make the cut. For him, it was both a relief and a blow, a chance missed, yet an outcome he had anticipated.

The rejection meant that The Lion King: The Gift, released alongside Disney’s blockbuster remake, would spotlight several of Nigeria’s biggest stars, but not Adekunle Gold. It was a painful reminder of both personal loss and professional setback.

For years, Simile remained unreleased, a song born of grief but tucked away as a private memory. That changed in 2024 when his longtime collaborator, Michael, stumbled on the track during a studio session and urged him to revisit it.

Encouraged by the rediscovery, Adekunle included Simile on his 2025 album, Fuji. This time, the song carried a different weight — not rejection, but healing. Adekunle said his hope was that it would comfort listeners dealing with grief, heartbreak, or loss in any form.

“It reminded me that even in my most profound loss, I was not alone. I had God to lean on,” he said. “Grief isn’t just about losing a parent. It can be the loss of a person, a friendship, a dream, or even a version of yourself; whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone.”