Beyoncé’s “Freedom” is the perfect campaign song for Kamala Harris

Queen Bey and the KHive are joining forces. Kamala Harris, the soon-to-be official Democratic nominee for president, has elected Beyoncé’s music for the official soundtrack to her campaign.

The specific Beyoncé song is the 2016 anthem “Freedom,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, off of her album Lemonade. This week, on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, “Freedom” made a big splash in Harris’s latest, near three-minute campaign ad.

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Beyoncé’s vocals are the first thing viewers hear over a montage of historical and patriotic images. From there, the narrator (the Oscar-nominated Jeffrey Wright) lays out the difference between the two candidates on everything from LGBTQ+ rights and abortion to gun violence and January 6.

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But the Harris campaign’s history with “Freedom” goes all the way back to the beginning. After Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, Harris had her first rally in Wisconsin, and “Freedom” was ringing as she took the stage. The song showed up yet again in her first campaign ad, released in the following days.

Although Beyoncé has not officially endorsed Harris, CNN reports that Queen Bey gave the Harris team permission to use her song throughout the campaign. Beyoncé typically maintains strict control over music rights, but she reportedly gave the okay fast enough for Harris to incorporate the song into the rally playlist just hours beforehand.

Beyoncé has endorsed Democratic candidates throughout her career. She sang the national anthem for Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013, headlined a concert to support Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016, and voiced support for Biden’s campaign on Instagram in 2020.

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Harris is not the only presidential candidate to turn to gay music icons for their campaigns. Trump has repeatedly used the Village People’s “Macho Man” at rallies, and the Village People have specifically and repeatedly demanded that he desist. Rihanna, Céline Dion, Adele, Queen, REM, Sinéad O’Connor’s estate and many others have all barred Trump from using their music.