Austin-based jewelry used in Beyoncé's Lion King music video
AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - Beyoncé dropped her “Spirit” video exclusively during The Lion King: Can You Feel the Love Tonight special with Robin Roberts special that aired Tuesday on ABC. It featured ten custom face masks made by Austin-based artist, Nina Berenato.
Her designs were on display in The Shiny Squirrel, a showroom in New York City, when she was asked by Beyoncé's team to design the jewelry for the music video, according to Nina.
Nina was able to make all ten custom pieces in less than two days for the American, singer, songwriter, and actress. She signed a NDA form about the work she had done.
Two weeks later, and she still didn't know if her work would be featured by Beyoncé at all.
"When you send things over for celebrities there’s such a small chance they will be used but I had higher hopes for this project because it was something specific they asked me to make custom," explained Nina. "But still, sometimes you make something and it’s so far in the background it’s like it’s not even there. We get tons of press we never post because it’s just not prominent enough."
WATCH BEYONCE'S MUSIC VIDEO HERE
On Monday, July 15, Nina got confirmation that there would be a Lion King video coming out on Tuesday, July 16. Nina was out to dinner with friends when she came across the music video the following night on Instagram.
"The creativity used in Beyoncé’s styling through the whole thing was incredible, the dancers, etc. my heart was beating out of my chest. The video was so beautiful. So powerful and the fashion was stunning," said Nina. "I’m just honored to have been able to be a part of it, to create these masks for everyone and thankful that Beyoncé and her team took a chance on, me, a small Texas designer."
“Spirit” is the lead single from the 14-song collection The Lion King: The Gift. It is a companion album to Disney's remake of the classic 1994 animated masterpiece. In the new version of "The Lion King," Beyoncé voices the character of Nala and Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, is Simba.
The Lion King: The Gift features several new Beyoncé songs as well as contributions from Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, Childish Gambino, 070 Shake, Tierra Whack, Pharrell, and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
The custom face masks are currently available for sale on Nina's website.
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