Superhero Kids Face Down Bullies in Janelle Monae’s ‘Heroes’ Video

Pepsi has shared details of the football-inspired Beats of the Beautiful Game album, which combines 11 tracks from Janelle Monáe, Kelly Rowland, Santigold, Rita Ora and Timbaland, among others, with short films (or “filmtracks”) by directors such as Spike Lee. Lee directed the video for Rowland’s song “The Game,” which the singer was “immediately attracted to because I can identify with its theme of overcoming challenges and finding your voice.” The first video released, though, is Young Astronauts’ clip for Janelle Monáe’s “Heroes,” the singer’s soulful take on the David Bowie classic. 

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The inspirational video finds a group of young kids battling with school bullies and taking comfort in the pages of a superhero comic book named JANELLE! Inspired by the singer’s cartoon battles for justice, the outcasts band together in their homemade costumes and avenge the bullies in an epic stand-off. 

Monáe recently spoke to Rolling Stone about the inspiration for her Bowie cover, noting that she’s drawn to the song’s lyrical message. “It’s very hopeful,” she said. “The way the world is today, you can never write enough inspiring or motivating songs or songs that embolden the people and make us feel fearless. Those lyrics spoke to me as someone who is for the people. I try to inspire and lead by example and be the change that I want to see. So this song is a poster child for just that.”

According to a press release, the album’s mission is to “capture the indelible international spirit, sights and sounds of the world’s most popular game – football.” Each week, Pepsi will unveil songs from the LP as iTunes singles alongside the corresponding video on its website and the artists’ Youtube or Vevo channels. The full, 11-track LP will be released on June 10th in the U.S. and is currently available for pre-sale on iTunes. 

Check out the full track list below:

1. Janelle Monáe – “Heroes” (filmtrack by The Young Astronauts)
2. Don Omar – “Pura Vida” (filmtrack by Jessy Terrero)
3. Rita Ora – “I Will Never Let You Down (Switch Remix)” (filmtrack by Diego Luna)
4. R3hab feat.  Eva Simons – “Unstoppable,” with filmtrack by Idris Elba
5. Jetta – “Crescendo”
6. Kelly Rowland – “The Game,” with filmtrack by Spike Lee
7. Santigold –“Kicking Down Doors,” with filmtrack by Andy Morahan
8. Timbaland staring Rachel Assil – “Whoever We Are,” with filmtrack by The Kolton Brothers
9. Pearls Negras – “Guerreira,” with filmtrack by Cine Favela  
10. Jolin Tsai Yl-ling – “Now is the Time,” with filmtrack by Cai Yiqi
11. Hassan el Shafei – “Ahlam Men Gedial”