Joyce Wrice Talks About Singing the Proud Family Theme Song

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“The Proud Family” is getting revived 21 years after it first debuted on the Disney Channel. “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” picks right back up where the original left off, with 14-year-old Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt) coming into her own and navigating the modern-day world with her friends and family by her side.

Pratt, along with Tommy Davidson (Oscar Proud), Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Proud), Jo Marie Payton (Suga Mama), Cedric the Entertainer (Uncle Bobby), Carlos Mencia (Felix Boulevardez), Maria Canals-Barrera (Sunset Boulevardez), Alvaro Guttierez (Papi), Karen Malina White (Dijonay Jones), Soleil Moon Frye (Zoey Howzer), and Alisa Reyes (LaCienega Boulevardez) are all reprising their respective roles. But the show also introduces us to some new characters, including Keke Palmer as Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, Billy Porter as Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, Zachary Quinto as Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, and E.J. Johnson as Michael Collins. And to make matters even more exciting, the show’s theme song has been reimagined, too.

R&B singer Joyce Wrice was tapped to sing the show’s revamped theme song, which was originally performed by Solange Knowles and Destiny’s Child. “I grew up watching the show. I grew up singing the theme song all the time, word for word. It’s an incredible opportunity, and I’m really, really happy to be doing the reimagined theme song,” Wrice tells POPSUGAR. “I was very intimidated, very nervous, but being such a fan, I was just really grateful and excited to put my own twist into the song — just reimagine it for the new generation and for the reboot. Hopefully everyone will be proud.”

The reimagined theme song still features the same lyrics and hook, but Wrice found a way to make it her own by adding in her own ad libs and runs. “A lot of people talk about how they like my tone, so I brought in my unique, distinct tone as well,” Wrice explains. “The song originally is very joyful and pure, but my own joyful spirit is reminiscent of the ’90s and 2000s. I feel like you can definitely hear it.”

In addition to singing “The Proud Family“‘s new theme song, Wrice released her debut album, “Overgrown,” back in March 2021. While both projects are major feats in her career, the processes behind their development were very different. “For my album, it really came down to what I wanted to do, what felt right for me, and it’s a body of work that I share with everyone, and hopefully they will receive it well,” Wrice explains. “With doing a theme song for a show, I always keep in mind what Disney wants, what [composer] Kurt [Farquhar] and the producers and writers of the show want. Luckily Kurt was so, so open and so encouraging, reminding me to bring in my ideas and my twist to it. It was really nice because I didn’t feel too limited.”

Growing up, Wrice was a huge fan of “The Proud Family,” specifically Penny, so getting the opportunity to sing the show’s theme song was truly a full-circle moment for her. “I definitely related to Penny. My mom was really strict and when my dad would be back home, because he was in the Navy, he was also pretty strict too. I felt a little sheltered; I felt a little restricted; and it was very frustrating, but I was also very submissive and wanting to please people, very friendly, sociable, and also very determined, very independent, and just persistent,” Wrice says. “I did really, really enjoy Suga Mama. I would just crack up all the time and my grandmother, my mom’s mother, is hilarious. She’s Japanese and kind of reminds me of Suga Mama in a way where there’s no filter, there’s no shame in speaking about how you feel, telling it like it is. I admire people like that, especially women like that.”

“The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” debuts on Disney+ on Feb. 23. On top of the show’s premiere, Wrice also has more new music on the way, and she’s getting ready to hit the road with Lucky Daye for his “Candy Drip” tour, which kicks off in Portland, OR, on March 18. “I’m opening up for him, which I’m super excited about, because I have not really done a tour to that extent. It’s about a month and a couple of days and we’re going all over the US,” Wrice says. “Then I have a new single coming out very soon and some more music coming out as well . . . This is the year that I said that I really want to tour and perform my debut album ‘Overgrown.’ It’s happening. I’m going to London, I’m going to do a festival in DC, and then I would like to do my own headlining tour and that’s something that we’re working on towards the fall.”

Clearly, Wrice is just getting started!