CYNTHIA ERIVO has been nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress for her portrayal of slavery abolitionist and freedom fighter Harriet Tubman.

The black British actress has also secured a nomination for best original song with Stand Up, which she describes as “a song full of emotion and a story of tenacity”.

Erivo said she was “unbelievably grateful” and “endlessly humbled” by the nominations.

The rousing song Stand Up, the closing track in Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet, was co-written by Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell.

Speaking of how she approached creating the song, Erivo said: “Having played Harriet, there was a deeper knowledge of what she had been through so I was able to use that knowledge and emotion in creating the song.”

“Working with Joshuah was a lovely experience,” Erivo said. “He’s an incredibly talented young man. Still in seminary school with a beautiful talent for music, he was thrown into the deep end and really delivered. Being able to share my knowledge and put our heads together to find what was right was really special.”

Campbell said of the power of the music: “I think the song dictated to us that its job was to tell a story about a woman who inspires many people, most primarily those women and others who fight for black liberation. It was certainly important that the song capture the spirit of the film, but of supreme importance – above all else – was that the song honour the spirit of Harriet, the woman.”

Erivo, 32, is already a Grammy and Tony award winner but that hasn’t stopped these latest nominations – which are her first for the Golden Globes – taking her by surprise.

“What the actual heck! Tears, Golden Globes, this is awesome! To my wonderful friends who have also been nominated shine! You beautiful people, congratulations to you, too! All the love,” she wrote on Instagram.

See a full list of the nominations here.