The Lion Guard Soundtrack: Nenda Salama
One of the biggest TLG related mysteries to me was how several scores and tracks that were absolutely amazing... never made it into the soundtrack. This was due to the officially released soundtrack for the series being discontinued before its first season was halfway finished, despite the show already having been renewed for a second and 3rd season around that time. One of them in particular being the biggest object of my curiosity.
In August of 2023, I emailed Christopher Willis, the composer for The Lion Guard's soundtrack asking about the song sung by the show's chorus that plays in Battle for the Pride Lands when the Lion Guard leave the Pride Lands to find the Tree of Life, and is reprised in Return to the Pride Lands when they return after the events of Simba's Pride to re-unite with their families and friends.
To my surprise, he gave me an answer. The official title of that song is called "Nenda Salama" a saying of farewell in Swahilli (i.e. bon voyage, or go safe in rough translation). The lyrics are entirely in Swahilli and I have no frame of reference as to what the lyrics are so I can't translate them (any Swahilli speakers that find this, it'd be helpful for a translator thank you), but still, this was really good. To make things better, he uploaded it on his Soundcloud to stream for free in the public domain.
I myself recorded the music on my computer and combined with with an mp3 of a vocal-remover edit via MVSEP to make an edit of both this song and its reprise as it appears within the canon. I uploaded it to my YouTube -be subject to 3 hours of editing (no really) and enjoy yet another piece of music from this brilliant series.
