Today, 3X GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo shared the official video for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By) — the official soundtrack to Lionsgate’s highly anticipated new film in The Hunger Games saga, in theaters Friday. “Can’t Catch Me Now,” which was directed by award-winning director Leonn Ward (Michael Kiwanuka, Celeste) of RSA’s Black Dog Films. The 17-song soundtrack is due out November 17th via Geffen Records, the same day as the movie’s release.
The New York Times said, “A latticework of acoustic guitar and a building intensity drive ‘Can’t Catch Me now,’ Olivia Rodrigo’s brooding new song…” Billboard praised the “searing ballad” while Rolling Stone noted, “the track features Rodrigo over an intimate acoustic guitar as the melodies build to a slow crescendo and tell the story of vengeance.”
“Can’t Catch Me Now” marks Rodrigo’s first contribution to a film soundtrack. She penned the song with producer Daniel Nigro, who also collaborated with the 20-year-old artist on her chart topping, GRAMMY® nominated sophomore album GUTS. Rodrigo has earned six nods for the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards (“Record Of The Year,” “Album Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year,” “Best Pop Solo Performance,” “Best Pop Vocal Album,” “Best Rock Song”). Listen to “Can’t Catch Me Now” HERE and pre-order 7” vinyl HERE. The track is the opener on the 17-song soundtrack which is available for pre-save/pre-order HERE.
Executive-produced by nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By) also includes a number of songs performed in the film by The Hunger Games star Rachel Zegler, as well as new songs that were inspired by the film from such artists as Flatland Cavalry (a widely beloved Texas-bred sextet), Molly Tuttle (winner of the Best Bluegrass Album prize at the 2023 GRAMMY® Awards), Billy Strings (named Artist Of The Year at the 2022 Americana Music Awards), genre-bending luminary Sierra Ferrell, and fast-rising country/folk singer/songwriters Bella White and Charles Wesley Godwin.
The latest release in the blockbuster franchise, THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES takes place 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical president of Panem. The new film stars Zegler alongside Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis.
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.
The film is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, and produced by Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and Francis Lawrence.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opens 17 November 2023 in South African theatres and Imax
