H.E.R. is teaming up with ESPN during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
“The Journey,” a new, unreleased song by H.E.R. and songwriter Diane Warren, will be featured within various in-game ESPN production elements throughout the channel’s NBA Playoffs coverage, starting Saturday (April 15).
The artist will help to “tell the story of the 16 teams beginning ‘The Journey’ through the NBA Playoffs Presented by Google Pixel,” according to a press release from ESPN.
Another unreleased H.E.R. song, “Glory,” will also be heard on ESPN, as well as “We Going Crazy,” DJ Khaled’s collab with the singer.
“As an NBA fan, I’m so grateful to be part of this year’s ‘Journey’ to the NBA Finals,” H.E.R. said in a statement.
“The NBA regular season is one long journey, and then you get to the NBA Playoffs, which is a journey of its own,” ESPN vp, production Tim Corrigan said. “All 16 teams have their own paths to accomplishing their goal of an NBA Championship. And, as the song says, ‘it’s a hell of a ride.’ We are honored that H.E.R chose to team up with ESPN to help introduce this song to the world. It’s another great example of what we can do at the intersection of sports and music.”
No official debut date for the song has been announced, but “The Journey” is set to be released “soon” by RCA Records.
Though they are now collaborators, H.E.R. and Warren competed in the Oscar race for best original song two years ago. H.E.R.’s “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah (which she co-wrote with Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas), won the award, beating Warren’s “Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (which she co-wrote with Laura Pausini).