Fantasia‘s new music video for “Superpower (I)” from The Color Purple includes a jaw-dropping special guest: Fantasia. Yes, you read that right; Fantasia duets with a younger version of herself in the song’s official visual.
According to Variety, the video shows the singer belting the emotional ballad with her 19-year-old self, which was made possible thanks to the artificial intelligence company Metaphysic. Fantasia dazzles in a sparkle-filled silver and black gown, while her 19-year-old self wore the same red dress she did during her 2004 performance of “Summertime” on American Idol. The song mirrors the experience of Fantasia’s The Color Purple character, Celie, and her 20-year journey in the entertainment industry.
“Not only is this a song that is so meaningful to the story of ‘The Color Purple,’ it’s also a song that speaks to my personal life experience,” the singer told Variety. “Celie is a character I hold close to my heart as I understand her profoundly. What an honor to have The-Dream write her song – our song – and I hope it moves you in the way it immensely moved me.”
The Idol alum recounted her experience recording “Superpower (I)” in more detail to Variety in November.
“I cried the whole second verse. I said to The-Dream, ‘It’s almost like you met me before,'” she said during a Q&A moderated by Angelique Jackson. “I wanted to pick his brain because I wanted to know, ‘Why did you write it?’ He said, ‘I followed you through your good and your bad. I’m a Southern man. I got roots in North Carolina … I followed you and I believe that you had superpowers that you didn’t see back then.'”
She shared that it was “hard” for her to record the song because “a lot of us don’t see our superpowers when we’re going through what we’re going through.”
Fantasia brings The Color Purple back to life alongside a star-studded cast, which includes Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo and Halle Bailey. The Broadway adaptation’s soundtrack stands to perform just as well as the movie on the awards ceremony circuit. An expanded album version has 21 new songs, plus the 16 from the stage musical. Producers Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders and Larry Jackson were all involved in the movie’s albums.
Check out the “Superpower (I)” music video below.
