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And Finally Artist News Releases
Will.i.am releases new version of Bono’s coronavirus song
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 25 March 2020
Last week Bono posted a snippet of a new song he’d written inspired by the Italians who were singing to each other across the street while on COVID-19 lockdown. Now he’s released a more complete version.
Not only that, but he’s gone and got Will.i.am involved too. I mean, he was already testing our resolve to not mock things like this given the current circumstances all over the world. But I mean Will.i.am is now involved. It’s getting tricky.
In his Instagram video last week, Bono said of his new song, “I think it’s called ‘Let Your Love Be Known'”. Turns out it’s not, because the new version now sitting on Will.i.am’s YouTube channel is called ‘Sing For Life’.
As well as Bono and Will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and X Japan’s Yoshiki also appear on the new track – each of them working in isolation from their own homes. Appearing on ‘Good Morning Britain’ yesterday ahead of the track’s release, Will.i.am revealed that he had heard the original version of the song before it appeared on Instagram after Bono shared it via some sort of celebrity group chat.
“I got really moved and inspired by it and I added to it and I sent it to him on the thread”, he said. “We talked about creating a baton so people at home can participate – whether they’re just listening to it or commenting or singing along or making their own renditions. There’s lots of musicians out there in the world that can continue to spread awesome, productive vibes out there in these times”.
Meanwhile, in the description on YouTube, Will.i.am writes: “This song was created to bring joy. In times like these, creative people must continue to collaborate. Whether you are a computer scientist, an engineer, a therapist or a teacher, just because we are self-isolating or in quarantine doesn’t mean you are alone. The beauty of international connectivity is that nobody is alone on the internet! Use this time to be creative and collaborate remotely to solve problems. A healthy body also means a healthy mind”.
Watch the video for the song below. Cynics out there can come up with their own disparaging remarks. Despite everything, our resolve remains strong!
