Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock has found a new way of using her voice. She's partnered with Audible U.K. for the audio version of The Little Mermaid in the role of Ariel.
Scheduled for release on March 23, the Audible version comes two months before the highly anticipated Disney feature film starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. In the contemporary version of the Hans Christian Anderson story, Ariel is a mermaid trapped in the water who falls in love with a human prince.
"In the popular imagination, The Little Mermaid has morphed into a happy-ever-after fairy-tale despite the original story's darker ending," says lyricist Dina Gregory who worked with Pinnock on the audio version.
"Never destined to marry the prince, this voiceless outsider is forsaken by a world that deems her "other." With Leigh-Anne Pinnock narrating this adaptation, I saw an opportunity to reclaim both Andersen's vision and the little mermaid's voice. As a biracial writer, I'm inspired by Leigh-Anne's advocacy."
Though Little Mix is currently on hiatus, Pinnock's experiences as the only Black woman in the band were incorporated into Gregory's work. Pinnock also invited vocalists Anaiis, Kersha Bailey, Nadine Samuels and Sairah Rowe to collaborate on the project.
"I'm so excited to be narrating the original Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid exclusively for @audible_uk ♀️," Pinnock posted to her Instagram page. "Dina Gregory is such an incredible storyteller; reading her adaptation truly made me feel seen in a story I've been so familiar with as a child. There are so many themes within this now iconic storyline that feel so familiar to my own life and so my narration was inspired by not only my experiences but also my culture, my heritage."
The original Anderson story first published in 1837, tells the story of Ariel, a mermaid who falls in love with a prince and sells her voice so she can move among people outside of the water.