Last week, actor and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborated with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Gloria Estefan to create a song that would raise money for the 3.4 million people that have been affected by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that has caused heavy flash flooding and a crippling island-wide power outage.Â
The audio of the new single, âAlmost Like Prayingâ, was released on October 5th, 2017, soon followed by a music video. Ironically, it gets its name from a line in the song âMariaâ from the 80s musical, âWest Side Storyâ.Â
âI knew that name would forever have a destructive connotation on the island,â said Lin-Manuel during an interview on the Today Show. âAnd yet, I have a musical theater brain, so thatâs where I went in my head first. And I thought if I could flip the sample and the hook of âalmost like prayingâ…thoughts and prayers are great. Thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need supplies we need aid we need a government response that matches the response of our people, and thatâs what the songâs about.â
In order to honor the residents of the island, Lin-Manuel made sure to include the names of all of its 78 towns in the lyrics.Â
âAlmost Like Prayingâ is available for the low price of $1.29 on Google Play, iTunes, Amazon Music, and many others. All proceeds go towards the Hispanic Federation UNIDOS Disaster Relief Fund for Puerto Rico.
Here is a link to the music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1IBXE2G6zw