Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs pens original track for Rise of the Tomb Raider

With the release of the highly-anticipated Rise on the Tomb Raider less than two weeks away, Xbox and Crystal Dynamics this morning announced a collaboration with Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman and Academy Award-nominated musician Karen O which will bring an original song created expressly for the game to fans worldwide.

Entitled "I Shall Rise," not only will the track be featured in the game, but it is the soundtrack to both the launch trailer and the global TV campaign for Rise of the Tomb Raider, and has been released digitally today on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and a variety of other streaming or download services where music is available.

Inspired by Lara Croft's fight to survive a hostile world and discover the secret of immortality, and exuding the gravity and theatrical presentation of Rise of the Tomb Raider, "I Shall Rise" is Karen O's first original song for a video game, and follows her successful integration within popular films such as her Academy Award nominated original Moon Song for Spike Jonze's film Her, the soundtrack of Where the Wild Things Are, and her cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song for the David Fincher adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

"They wanted an emotional song that captures the intensity of the moment Lara Croft transforms into the Tomb Raider, the theme of a young woman becoming an icon. I was very intrigued by the challenge and I guess I was amidst a significant transformation of my own being pregnant at the time I wrote it. Now that I have a brought a life into the world I have no trouble relating to a character like Lara's who pushes past her own limits to prevail under extreme circumstances. I love me some melodrama and nothing's more satisfying than writing an against all odds song of survival. ‘I Shall Rise' is kind of like my less groovy nod to Gloria Gaynor's ‘I Will Survive.' I'm excited by the artistry of video games; they're inspired. It's no surprise that there's a whole culture of kids who just like to watch people play them. There's plenty of storyline, character and tone to sink your teeth into. Writing a song for the game felt pretty much like writing a song for a film. I had a lot of fun writing for it," said Karen O.

"Karen truly captures Lara's indomitable spirit and determination," said Crystal Dynamics Creative Director Noah Hughes. "The mood and atmosphere the song evokes is simply fantastic and compliments the game's aspirational sense of adventure really well."