After watching Episode 9 of creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s Empire, the song “Conqueror” kept replaying in my mind. It was performed by Jamal Lyon, the character played by Jussie Smollett, and Delphine, played by Estelle, a Grammy Award winning British singer-songwriter. The original song was released on Estelle’s YouTube video in July of 2014 and is on her newest album titled True Romance. Estelle’s version of “Conqueror” with Jussie Smollett hit the No. 4 spot on iTunes after airing on this week’s episode. Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, the program creators and masterminds behind the show, have created a work of art, which in my opinion allows the world a direct view into the music industry.
As a music industry professional, it is satisfying to say that the show does a great job at giving an increasing number of weekly viewers a television experience filled with positive, high-quality musical works. Timbaland, who is well-known in the music industry, is the show’s executive music producer. With his help, the show is seeing songwriting success on today’s music charts. Since Empire’s debut, actors Terrence Howard, who plays Lucious Lyon, and Taraji P. Henson, who plays Cookie Lyon, have delivered extraordinary performances along with their other cast mates. Like some other shows currently on air today, this is a well casted television series. With that being said, the show is more than just believable. It is actually very real in nature and possesses the qualities that make you hungry for more of the drama surrounding the Empire Entertainment plot.
The show is cross generational and defies any known diversity issues or age boundaries that exist for some storylines. Without a doubt, it can be said in this case that music is an international language that we all speak. Based on my perception and previous discussions with others, it is a show that families join together to watch every Wednesday night. The latest episode grew to a whopping 14.33 million viewers according to Variety Media. This has created rising stars for actors on the show such as Jussie Smollett (Jamal Lyon), Bryshere Gray (Hakeem Lyon), Grace Gealey (Anika Calhoun), and Ta’Rhonda Jones (Porsha). It also must be stated that Empire presents some very talented musicians and recording artists for television and music consumers to appreciate.
Every week, the show has maintained very intimate positions on various issues that affect the lives of many people around the world. However, the behind the scenes of the music industry along with the power of music and what it stands for is the show’s foundation which captures the attention of many people. Nevertheless, the creators, cast members, and production team of Empire along with the FOX Network deserve a job a well done for presenting to us this remarkably entertaining television series.