Saleka and M Night Shyamalan discuss inspirations for Trap

Singer and actor Saleka Shyamalan, daughter of filmmaker M Night Shyamalan, debuted her new Trap film single 'Save Me' earlier this week. The song appears on the soundtrack for her upcoming film Trap, a thriller directed by Saleka's father M Night Shyamalan. Saleka plays Lady Raven, a pop star, in Trap. The film also stars Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills, and Marnie McPhail. The plot follows a father (Hartnett) taking his teenage daughter to a Lady Raven concert, where a sinister twist unfolds as police hunt for a serial killer at the venue.

'Save Me' is one of 14 songs Saleka composed, produced, and performed for Trap's soundtrack album, titled "Lady Raven." The album has guest appearances by Kid Cudi, Amaarae, and Russ.

In an interview with Empire, M Night Shyamalan described the film as a case of The Silence of the Lambs (1991) meets a Taylor Swift concert. He drew inspiration for the film from his daughter's music career. He collaborated with Saleka on the script while she composed the songs. Talking to Variety about the creative process, Shyamalan said that he would give Saleka an outline and the scene, and she would write a song to fit it, almost like scoring the film.

Saleka aimed for the soundtrack to function as both a standalone album and a complement to the film. "There's a duality," she said while adding that the film's story allowed her to write freely, exploring emotions she wouldn't normally.

The Shyamalan family's love for Hindi cinema and musicals also influenced the project. "Purple Rain is one of our favourite movies,” Saleka told Variety. “Film and music often go hand in hand in our culture; they are equally important in Bollywood movies. The concept for Trap came from family conversations in the kitchen about wanting to bring these two art forms together in our own way."

Trap will release theatrically in the US on August 02 this year.