Naomi Scott details Princess Jasmine's new 'Aladdin' song: 'It's a punch in the face'

Brian Truitt

Playing Princess Jasmine in Disney's new live-action "Aladdin," Naomi Scott gets her fill of sonic magic. 

In the upcoming musical movie (in theaters May 24), the British actress gets to sing classic stuff like Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s famous duet "A Whole New World" but also the new song "Speechless," written specifically for this "Aladdin."

"That's always a buzz for me, performing in any way, shape or form, when it comes to singing and music," says Scott, an artist with a few EPs, singles and music videos to her credit. 

Naomi Scott is the beautiful and self-determined Princess Jasmine in the new live-action adaptation of Disney's "Aladdin."

Jasmine gets her own solo number on "Speechless," with music by Menken and lyrics by the Oscar-winning "La La Land" songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The Adele-style power ballad is a very emotional "belter," Scott says. "It's a punch in the face. Let's put it this way, it's the hardest song I've ever sung in my entire life."

Scott says "Speechless" is about Jasmine finding her own voice and the courage to speak out for her people. "I mean, how timely is that? (Jasmine's) not perfect. She doesn't get it right all the time. It's just showcasing that she gets to a point where, 'It's not going to be easy and I may lose this fight, but I need to step up.'


Naomi Scott stars as Jasmine and Mena Massoud is the title character in Disney’s live-action adaptation of "Aladdin."

But Scott also shines in a throwback. "A Whole New World" is one of the most iconic songs from the original 1992 animated "Aladdin," with Jasmine and her "street rat" love interest Aladdin singing atop the streets of Agrabah during a magic carpet ride, and Scott reports that it was "kind of surreal" doing the track with the new Aladdin, Mena Massoud, for the 2019 iteration.

"Filming it, you're surrounded by blue screen, you're on this foam carpet that kind of moves and is really uncomfortable, and the wind's blowing," Scott says. "In people's minds, you think, 'Oh my gosh, that must have been the most magical moment,' when really it probably wasn't. Poor Mena's not got very strong ankles so he's kneeling on this flipping foam thing going, 'When are we done?!' "

"That's the reality of it. But when I see it on screen is when I think it will hit me."