LaChanze, the Tony Award-winning actress who played the role of Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway, is looking to receive royalties for the song “I’m Here,” which is featured in the new movie.
The 62-year-old singer went on social media to address the situation. “I am getting a lot of DM’s and posts about why I’ve been left out of the press as the original Celie in The Color Purple (musical). I am thrilled for the movie’s success.” She added, “However, I do want my royalty fee for the lyrics I added to ‘I’M HERE.’”
Although she addressed this issue, the actress did not specify which lyrics she added to the song, which is an emotional point for Celie in the movie, played by Fantasia Barrino. According to reports, LaChanze is not credited on the song on Spotify, however, Allee Willis, Brenda Russell, and Stephen Brat are credited as writers.
As mentioned earlier, LaChanze won a Tony for her role as Celie in the play. Fantasia, Adrianna Hicks, and Cynthia Erivo would go on to play that role after LaChanze left the production.
The reprise movie of The Color Purple is out in theaters now. What are your thoughts on this?