OUT NOW: VIDEO FOR “BE THE LIGHT” FROM WITNESS UGANDA (AN AMERICAN MUSICAL)
Masterworks Broadway today releases the official music video for “Be The Light” from the Studio Cast Recording of WITNESS UGANDA (AN AMERICAN MUSICAL). The emotionally-charged ballad features vocals by GRAMMY Award-winning R&B songstress Ledisi alongside Griffin Matthews, Emma Hunton, and the Witness Uganda ensemble to create vocal fireworks that are both vulnerable yet fiercely resilient – watch the video here.
Of the song and video, Matt Gould says: “Witness Uganda is about a group of outsiders who come together to forge a place in which they belong. So, as we started to conceptualize the ‘Be The Light’ video, we wanted to not only highlight the literal story of Witness Uganda, but also to zoom out and try to capture stories of other queer artists in their search for belonging. ‘Be The Light’ is meant to be an aspirational ‘prayer’ that one day our houses of worship and communities might be as welcoming to all people as their scriptures profess. Our goal with this video was to capture that hope that someday we might all be welcomed into the places that have shunned us; that one day we might all feel like we are enough.”
Available everywhere now, WITNESS UGANDA (AN AMERICAN MUSICAL) is an album of music from the powerful musical envisioned by the creative duo of Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews. It features 24 songs from the show, as performed by Matthews and a star-studded cast including multihyphenate superstar Cynthia Erivo, GRAMMY-winning recording artist Ledisi, and stage-and-screen stars Nicolette Robinson, Emma Hunton and Kristolyn Lloyd, among others.
Featuring a book and score by Griffin Matthews and Matt Gould, and inspired by true events, Witness Uganda documents Griffin’s journey on a volunteer mission to Uganda, during which he builds an unlikely bond with a ragtag group of teenage students. When home doesn’t feel like home, and any family connections must be forged, Griffin and the students discover community where they least expect it.
The album was initially introduced with lead single, “Bricks,” a high-energy ensemble number featuring a resounding chorus and propulsive African rhythms – watch the song visualizer here. Released alongside a stirring music video, follow-up single, “Fall,” features as a duet between Griffin Matthews and Emma Hunton, as they both share their profound personal stories regarding race and body image, and the painful scars that have inevitably developed along the way. Ultimately, the album mirrors the storytelling at the heart of the unabashedly political musical – both funny at times and painfully raw at others, Witness Uganda (An American Musical) brings audiences together and breaks down barriers.
The Studio Cast Recording of Witness Uganda (An American Musical) was produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner Stephen Bray (Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson, Respect Movie) who became a fan of the show during one of its early workshops. Recorded over the course of six weeks in Los Angeles and New York, the album was co-produced by Remy Kurs, Cian McCarthy, Michael Verdick, Matt Gould, Griffin Matthews, and Oliver Roth and was executive produced by OHenry Productions, Jana Shea, Jonathan Demar, and Van Dean and Deena Zucker for Broadway Records. David Manella, Terri Nolan, Devon Spencer and Tiffany Dunn at Loeb & Loeb LLP serve as production counsel.
The album marks a full circle moment for the married co-creators, both of whom made separate long-term sojourns to different countries in Africa. During his first trip to Uganda as part of an aid trip, Matthews was inspired to launch UgandaProject, which opens up educational opportunities for Ugandan students. To date, the musical has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support UgandaProject. Matthews has starred on stage and across film and television with credits including The Flight Attendant, Dear White People, Ballers, Law & Order: SVU, and more. Meanwhile, Gould has garnered the Richard Rodgers Award twice, The Jonathan Larson Award, and ASCAP’s Dean Kay, Harold Adamson, and Richard Rodgers Awards.
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