When we were approached with this project the directive was simple: Take Amanda Gorman’s words, her performance and presentation... and turn them into a piece that can be a powerful part of an International Women’s Day program.

Beyond that, we basically had a poem, an editorial partner and the creative vision of the agency team along with the Vital Voices organization. The idea, if loose... was to support her words. That simple. The idea of reaching out to different women across the globe was paramount... What would the music be? What would they sing along to if anything? Would it be acapella? Scripted? Wide open? This was our exploration...

We worked with the agency to come up with a musical approach. We knew women’s voices would lead. We knew we wanted a powerful accompaniment sonically to her words and support for the images as energy and intensity built...

We started by drawing up various sketches, basic chord progressions, ideas and vibes and shared them around, a few resonated and we took those to create a message for all the members of VV and beyond. We set up a website to collect submissions of any and everything people had to offer, whether it be a melody, a passionate word or a reading of the poem itself.

We compiled things, edited, re-edited and crafted this array of creative energy into what you hear on the spot under the creative supervision of the agency creatives and our own intuitive sense of what the music wanted to be. We also reached out to women we know, session singers, friends, etc. with powerful voices to fill in and fill out the bones of the thing. Ultimately it was a highly collaborative effort that resulted, we feel quite beautifully, in an amalgam of powerful women’s voices. Vital Voices!

We are beyond proud to be a part of this effort, both creatively and personally.