Warner Records President of A&R, Steve Carless, has said that Blue Ivy is the reason “Brown Skin Girl” made it to Beyoncé’s album. Recall that the song became a fan favourite when it was released in 2019 as part of “The Lion King” soundtrack, earning a Grammy Award for “Best Music Video” in 2021.
Speaking on the latest episode of One of One: A PLLRS Podcast, Carless revealed that Beyoncé wasn’t initially keen on the track, but Blue convinced her to give it a chance.
According to him, despite submitting the demo version of the song with the confidence that Bey would immediately approve it, he was stunned to see the “Irreplaceable” singer reject it during a listening session.
Carless stated that he kept playing the tune at the insistence of her longtime A&R, Mariel Gomerez, who loved the song, but Beyoncé didn’t budge.
“We keep playing the song, keep playing the song, and she’s like, ‘No, that’s not it. Stop playing me that sh*t,'” he said.
Weeks later, in a meeting with Beyoncé, Disney executives, Jay-Z, and others involved in the soundtrack, the Warner Records President of A&R decided to play the song one last time, paving the way for Blue Ivy to save the day.
Carless concluded by saying that all it took was for Blue Ivy to sing the hook of the record for Beyoncé to agree to its inclusion on her album.
“Blue Ivy’s in the meeting. She starts singing the hook: ‘Your skin’s just like pearls. The best thing in the world. Now, [Beyoncé’s] like, ‘Play it again.’
Now, we’re in the room for 15 minutes listening to this song.
She’s like, ‘Alright, I like it. I’ll take it. It’s going to be the single,'” he added.
