Lin-Manuel Miranda Releases Star-Studded 'Almost Like Praying' For Puerto Rico
Lin-Manuel Miranda is using his talents to give back to Puerto Rico.
The Hamilton star enlisted an impressive line-up of Latino recording artists for his benefit track "Almost Like Praying," which was released late Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. The song's proceeds will benefit the Hispanic Federation, which is providing aid to those affected by Hurricane Maria in the U.S. territory. It is currently available for purchase via iTunes and Google Play.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the star-studded charity song lists every town in Puerto Rico and samples "Maria" from West Side Story. It features Jennifer Lopez, who recently donated $1 million to provide aid to the island, as well as "Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Ana Villafañe, Tommy Torres, PJ Sin Suela, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Ramos, Joell Ortiz, Ednita Nazario, Rita Moreno, John Leguizamo, Alex Lacamoire, Luis Fonsi, Fat Joe, Dessa, Pedro Capó, Camila Cabello, Rubén Blades and Miranda himself."
As Nicki Swift previously reported, Miranda has devoted himself to advocating for hurricane relief. In September, he penned a personal plea, urging readers to make donations to the Hispanic Federation. "Puerto Ricans need supplies and resources just as badly as their fellow Americans in Texas and Florida," he wrote. "And this need is magnified by their geographic isolation from the mainland."
The Mary Poppins Returns star also participated in Stephen Colbert and Nick Kroll's #PuberMe campaign on Thursday, which donated $1,000 to relief efforts for every awkward puberty photo shared by a celebrity. After Miranda himself released a Puerto Rico-themed music video from his teens, the campaign raised a total of $1 million. On Oct. 17, the composer-lyricist will appear as a special guest at the 3rd annual Tidal X: Brooklyn concert. All ticket proceeds from the event will be donated to several natural disaster relief organizations.
But the Tony Award winner isn't the only musician using his celebrity platform to help those in need. In late September, Beyoncé joined J Balvin and Willy William on their "Mi Gente" remix. "I am donating my proceeds from this song to hurricane relief charities for Puerto Rico, Mexico and the other affected Caribbean islands," the "Formation" singer announced on Instagram. "To help go to Beyonce.com/reliefefforts."