Violet Grohl has contributed a new piece to the soundtrack of The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping. Issued on Friday, November 13, the song, titled Metal Birds, marks her first release since her debut album, Be Sweet To Me, arrived in May. The film itself, representing the sixth cinema entry in the franchise, opens in theaters on November 20, accompanied by a curated collection of music designed to reflect Suzanne Collins' universe.
Grohl worked alongside producers Justin Raisen and Lewis Pesacov to build the track around a quiet, patient sense of unease. Metal Birds starts out sparse, relying on restrained electric guitar chords before orchestral elements gradually enter to fill out the backdrop. Her lyrics focus on wreckage, flying machines, embers, and physical surrender. Lines such as "Kiss you with a smile / Death hung around my neck" and "I’ll lay the flowers on your chest / Open eyes are for the weeping" draw directly on the mortal weight of the world she was hired to soundtrack.
Writing for the project did not require an introduction to the setting. Grohl grew up reading Collins' novels and watching the earlier film adaptations, so the history of Panem was already firmly ingrained. She has called the process one of the most meaningful writing experiences of her career so far. Working from advance looks at the film, she took mental notes on its imagery, using those bleak visual prompts to shape the lyrics quickly and without much friction.
The finished piece sits on The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping (The Album) among a cross-generational group of contributors. The tracklist includes veterans such as Stevie Nicks, The Cure, and The Smashing Pumpkins, alongside Kacey Musgraves and Noah Kahan. Grohl already held a prior creative tie to The Cure, having previously covered their single High, a track she singled out for being an especially sweet love song.
The soundtrack appearance caps a dense schedule of live work and broadcasts that began over the summer. Grohl debuted at the Reading and Leeds festivals earlier this year, picking up recognition for delivering one of the weekend's best performances at Leeds, and went on to play on Later... With Jools Holland. A bout of illness disrupted two UK stops earlier in the run, but those missed concerts in Manchester and Glasgow are scheduled to take place next month. Her calendar also includes dates across Europe as the opening act for Beabadoobee. Further out, in early 2027, she will take her tour to Japan, Australia, and South America, followed by spring appearances at Coachella in California and Bilbao BBK Live in Spain.
Through all of this rapid momentum, Grohl has kept a firm grip on her independence. In conversations about her place in rock music earlier this year, she voiced annoyance at the self-importance displayed by many young male players, remarking that they should step back and allow other voices to occupy the room. Her approach to the business has been guided by guidance she received regarding the power of saying no to opportunities that feel misaligned. That privacy around her career extends even to her home. Her father, Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl, was left entirely unaware of her record deal negotiations, only finding out that she had signed a contract when she mentioned it over dinner.
Taking on music for a massive film franchise so soon after issuing a first record can easily swallow an emerging artist whole. On Metal Birds, Grohl simply leans into the grim tone of the story, delivering a performance that meets the scale of the production without losing her own footing.
