Thirteen world-class international artists from nine countries present a new take on You Gotta Be, one of the best R&B and soul songs by British singer Des'ree that touches on the power of self-confidence, in a music video now on YouTube.
The music video project is part of the Nippon Foundation's "True Colors Festival", an international festival of performing arts held in celebration of diversity and inclusion as "One World One Family".
Performing from their homes, the cast includes Mandy Harvey, whose performance on America's Got Talent earned Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer; Raul Midón, a Grammy-nominee who devoted his life to music after being told that blindness would be an obstacle; Kenta Kambara, an accomplished aerial performer who featured in the Rio 2016 Paralympics; Signmark, the first deaf artist to be signed to a major record label; and Alienètte Coldfire, who placed third in France's Got Talent.
The technical process of producing this music video involved countless WhatsApp, Messenger and Zoom calls, working across time zones, and using Google Translate in real time. However, the real challenge was to develop a relationship with each artist to allow them to perform and be themselves.
Even though they haven't met in person, they put their heart into the entire process.
"Being part of this team is another reinforcement to me that what's within you is so much stronger than the barriers we face," said Mandy Harvey. "This is a reminder to reach farther and dream bigger. My hope is that people are encouraged to try!"
The music video comes with closed captions (for the deaf) and audio description (for the blind), and an accompanying video transcript (for the deafblind).
Visit bit.ly/3ziVbI5.
