Behind the Music of Disney’s Hercules With Lillias White and Alan Menken

Lillias White and composer Alan Menken reveal secrets behind the recording of Hercules' now-famous gospel score.

[@Alyrulz421]

I'm so glad they picked gospel. It works so well.

[@mymakeupnonsense]

I never knew the main muse was sung by Lilias white! No wonder I've always loved her!

[@tiffanybleu9763]

Yes, you can hear it when she speaks. Beautiful 🔥🥰💪🙏

[@darreylhenderson702]

Funny story: Patti LaBelle auditioned for The Muse that Lillias got and she said she thought she nailed the audition and said "then I went home and I heard Nothin' honey". 😂😂

[@sandersra9036]

Interesting story.

[@JEHB893]

That really would've been something if Ms. LaBelle was one of the Muses.

[@fai6139]

😂😂😂😂

[@marquishalsell]

This is her type of musical experience welp at least she was represented through another queen and it turned out to still be great frfr

[@Powerranger-le4up]

Either one would’ve been great.

[@giftedguidance]

Lillias deserves the utmost success and should be a household name, just like Streisand is. What a wonderful talent she has!!!

[@SA-xt1gd]

The boss muse always reminds me of Aunt Viv of fresh prince

[@TCt83067695]

Dark skin aunt viv

[@AdrianaCuevas17]

Her name is Calliope! Muse of heroic poetry and proclaimer of heroes!

[@darreylhenderson702]

I totally see it

[@KHobbies_cina]

Definitely my favourite Disney movie and score. Very very close to Hunchback's score but Hercules songs are so sassy.

[@debbw6306]

Mine too.

[@wyattangle]

@Kenneth Ho These are my favorite two. So different. So great.

[@MsDisneylandlover]

So agree

[@tifflthom]

I watch Hercules at least three times a month lmfao and it’s just ICONIC! Going with Gospel was a WIN!

[@sophied23.]

“Alan, you should do more. Yes indeed” I SECOND THAT! 🙌🏼

[@jonito223]

Lillias White is my favorite singer on the Earth. I would love to see her live so bad.

[@remyfacade]

You mean to tell me all the bootleg crap that gets put out, no one has Lillias White singing ALL THE SONGS.

[@soulfulvoices2341]

Jae Mery I wish someone would share all this demo tracks she did for Hercules !!

[@sandersra9036]

I can tell that the most of "The Gospel Truth" is mostly her on leads and backgrounds with Roz overdubbed.

[@harrymeepharry]

Lillias is an icon!

[@thetuerk]

Omg that's a smile so big you have to smile back, what a warm person.

[@ninelivesisnotenough9320]

She’s sooo beautiful and soooo freakin good at singing!! They all are!!

[@marquishalsell]

I see why she was the leader of the sistas i know someone just like her who comes from a Catholic church and she didn't know much about gospel songs until she came to an all black church and that's where she found her very sassy high soprano soulful voice now she's more in love and very much comfortable with her sweet sensational voice so yes she can most definitely testify to this because she's a witness to what happens when ya go gospel fr fr

[@Powerranger-le4up]

Being Catholic myself (though I’m actually white), I do appreciate how much African American Catholics really put into music.

[@marquishalsell]

@@Powerranger-le4up thank you so much we put so much soul in what we do it's fun as a singer myself I just go with whatever I feel emotionally and most of the time we're always putting gospel music in every aspect of anything we do that's the magic of it lol

[@YoshliFan]

I needed this so bad. I've watched the live videos of the recordings so many times.

[@vgm_composer]

Im surprised Alan Menken was against it in the beginning, This must have been a great chance for him to expand his repetoire

[@wyattangle]

I can see him being resistant. It's probably one of the last genres you'd think of when you think of Greek mythology...despite both being odes to gods. Let's all be thankful that he had ultimately had an open mind!

[@favoroceanloy6440]

We want to see more of these interviews! Amen.

[@brachiosaurus6350]

She seems like so much fun !

[@jazzyk5502]

This is amazing! What an absolute treat to watch!

[@DibIrken]

How does that big voice come out of this sweet speaking voice? 😂

[@iPyromantic]

..... am I the only one who kinda wants to hear a 'Candide-like' Hercules score?

[@vh6307]

Bless your soul 4 real!!!🙋🏾‍♀️🤩💗

[@judy051310]

John Musker and Ron Clement better have a raise after come up of the idea of the gospel.

[@fightingfitz214]

Their reward was getting to make Treasure Planet

[@alphacharm]

They need to make a live action Hercules movie with the muses!!

[@princepeterwolf]

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS WOMAN

[@tommieterrell82]

I can see the Clark sisters also do the muses roles

[@CUF17]

Luther vandross did background????? Holy shit

[@springlady8337]

You mean that girl from Flavor of Love??

[@Daniel-hx1yu]

@@springlady8337 beyonce?!?!?! Beyonce?!?!?!?

[@sandersra9036]

No. His background singers were part of the choir that was used for sweetening at the end of "The Gospel Truth" and in the second part of "Zero to Hero."

[@Ronldbx6]

I love this!😄👏

[@blackamericanlesbianprofes4357]

Thank you for sharing this interview of the vocalist! 16jan24

[@speedracer2008]

We are the Muses, goddesses of the arts and proclaimers of heroes!

[@deviant20]

Is no one gonna point out that at the end its The Little Mermaid and not Hercules?

[@PS-DLMA]

It is a special made celebrating 30yrs of Little Mermaid

[@matthewdoherty9271]

This is the first Disney movie to portray black women.

[@psychiccarline9653]

My gosh this woman is gorgeous

[@ladanski]

yes indeed

[@BraveSpy]

Damn, she's cool

[@fayepolson5906]

The Muses and Hades were the best part of that movie.

[@darreylhenderson702]

2:25 sounds like a fart. 😂😂

[@sejandro9921]

3:14 as well

[@MegaCarencro]

God she has a voice

[@hamidrafiee1287]

2:24 what was that noise? 🤣

[@lovpizza1320]

Wonderful .....any relations to Kortney White?

[@LarryBanks85]

😂😂 Wow I always wondered how the women who played the African American female singers in Hercules look in real life and they look beautiful! It make sense that God made women beautiful. ❤️🙂

[@chohakkai36]

Looks like Hades made it out of the Underworld to dislike this video...

[@kevontewilliams3818]

Why didn’t they include the other four muses ?

[@Stu228]

Roz was brought in later and didn't record with them or on many of the chorus sections. Thalia mainly sings solo and Roz isn't even credited for a few numbers like "I won't Say".

[@kevontewilliams3818]

Stu228 I’m talking about the other four muses who weren’t in the movie. Disney only utilized five muses there’s nine total

[@powerpuff_avenger]

@@kevontewilliams3818 because that would be too many characters to take care of and it would've gotten confusing for the audience, since the muses play a bigger part in the film like for example ariel's 6 sisters. Or the titans (only cyclops really gets some attention) and the gods on olympus (we see a bunch, but we only ever hear Zeus, Hades, Hera and Hermes talk).

[@kevontewilliams3818]

@@powerpuff_avenger I know but it would be cool to have all sisters on the screen and get into their own storyline

[@virvatulix6220]

3:13 somebody farted.

[@lizzycourt8949]

Gospel music, music of God's. Naw it's music of black church.

[@nd6316]

AH

[@nd6316]

that’s all that was my comment

[@WVRCtv]

here for the fart.

[@edwardwatkins6572]

JAMES MARSDEN KING PRINCE EDWARD COMPOSER LOPEZ MUSIC 🎶 🎵 TOUGHER TALKNG MEET YOU FAMILY TOUGHER ALAN MENKEN COMPOSER LOPEZ MUSIC TOUGHER MEET TALKNG YOU

[@edwardwatkins6572]

JAMES MARSDEN KING PRINCE EDWARD COMPOSER LOPEZ MUSIC TOUGHER TALKNG MEET YOU FAMILY TOO TOUGHER ALAN MENKEN COMPOSER LOPEZ MUSIC TOUGHER TALKNG MEET MUSIC MOVIES CALL 📞 YOU TALKNG

[@soulsista1223]

Gospel?? That's to do with God. What would they know about God??

[@caciquepadilla]

Calm down.

[@soulsista1223]

@@caciquepadilla No. Tone policing is for assholes and the fools who value their opinion.

[@ThePhoenix3712]

The regular muses were all black but i see jealousy played a role in changing that by putting in white chicks to lip sync over the original black women voices

[@filipsundqvist94]

What? Are you talking about the fact that the muses in the film wasn't black? Newsflash- they were Greek goddesses.