“We Are the World” to Get Modern Multi-Country Reimagining

The 1985 charity single, “We Are the World,” which rallied 47 superstar talents around famine and disease relief in Africa is set to get a modern-day reimagining as “We Are the World NOW.”

Proposed as a live recorded and televised event, “We Are the World NOW” will be going international with recordings of the song coming in from Korea, China, Japan, Australia, England, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Spain and one or more African countries, according to Billboard.

Once an anthem meant to aid the ongoing famine in Ethiopia, the song now will be devoted to fighting hunger on a global scale. “A percentage of the revenue from the sale of the recordings and associated products will be split between a noted charity in each country devoted to ending world hunger and a third-party charity devoted to the same goals on a global basis,” a statement read.

“Never before in our history are we, as a people, more divided on so many levels,” Sunny Ogbamichael, the project’s creator and executive producer, shared in a statement. “We are divided socially, economically, racially, religiously and politically. In what I hope will be a unifying effort, we are producing reimagined and modernized versions of the song, ‘We Are the World,’ in over a dozen countries, while aligning with indigenous charity partners dedicated to ending world hunger.”

This is not the first time the song has seen a reconfiguration. “We Are the World 25″ came a quarter of a century after the original as a relief effort for Haiti after the country’s devastating earthquake in 2010.

The Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie-penned, Quincy Jones-produced star-studded smash hit, “We Are the World” went on to top the charts and win a number of accolades in 1985. Musicians across genres, including Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Perry, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and so many more, gathered together to make the song possible.

The modern project’s producer, Jeffrey Weber, is currently gearing up for the massive event. “We are assembling the finest local arrangers, musicians and vocalists in each country to record contemporary versions of the song in the language of each country and incorporating the indigenous instruments of each country,” Weber said. “The project will be recorded live, in world-class studios in each country.”

Pre-production for “We Are the World NOW” is scheduled to begin on July 1 with the first recording session expected to take place in Seoul, South Korea in early 2024.

(Photo by Lester Cohen/ Getty Images)