Answering Puerto Rico’s Prayers
Atlantic Records just released Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s ambitious Puerto Rico/Hurricane Maria benefit song, “Almost Like Praying,” (featuring Marc Anthony, Ruben Blades, Camila Cabello, Pedro Capo, Dessa, Gloria Estefan, Fat Joe, Luis Fonsi, Juan Luis Guerra, Alex Lacamoire, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Moreno, Ednita Nazario, Joell Ortiz, Anthony Ramos, Gina Rodriguez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, PJ Sin Suela, Tommy Torres and Ana Villafañe).
With music and lyrics by Miranda, the Pulitzer, Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning creator of Hamilton, and produced by Jeffrey “Trooko” Penalva, “Almost Like Praying” was written and recorded in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Penned by Miranda less than two weeks ago, the original song borrows its title and hook from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim‘s classic, “Maria,” from the original Broadway musical, West Side Story. Miranda said, “I was acutely aware that the name Maria, which is the name of my favorite song from West Side Story, would forever have a destructive connotation as a result of this natural disaster, so my mind began flipping lyrics from ‘Maria’ to figure out how we could flip this tragedy into something positive, which is why I reached out to Stephen Sondheim for his permission to use it.”
This extraordinary all-star single is now available at all digital music retailers and streaming services, and is accompanied by a companion video, featuring imagery from Puerto Rico alongside exclusive footage from Miranda’s travels and recording sessions. The entire sale price of $1.29 will benefit The Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS Disaster Relief Fund to help meet hurricane-related needs and recovery in Puerto Rico. For more information, or to make a much-needed donation, please visit hispanicfederation.org/unidos.
