Young Artists for Haiti was a movement to engage Canada's young musicians to continue to inspire an ongoing effort and contribution to Canadian charities for their work to help the people of Haiti overcome the devastation from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked the country on January 12, 2010. More than 50 Canadian artists gathered at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia to record a rendition of renowned hip hop artist K'naan's "Wavin' Flag".
Produced by Canadian producer, Bob Ezrin, co-produced by Garth Richardson and Shawn Marino, and engineered by Mike Fraser, the song was reworked to include specific lyrics for Haiti and was released on March 12, 2010, raising over $1 million [1] with proceeds going to Free The Children, War Child Canada and World Vision Canada. Ezrin stated, "With the wealth of young artists coming out of Canada, it was obvious that this is something we had to do. K'naan's lyrics in Wavin' Flag embody the pain, passion and determination of the Haitian people and lend the hope of a brighter future. The response from the artists has been sensational, and I am so proud that together we may help to make a difference." [2]
While in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, Bob Ezrin along with fellow music industry leaders, including Randy Lennox and Gary Slaight, recognized the moneymaking potential of mobilizing some of Canada's young musicians in an ongoing effort to help the people of Haiti. Within a short week, the collaboration of Young Artists for Haiti was formed. The song was recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, which is owned by Bryan Adams, and edited at the Nimbus School of Recording Arts.
The song was released March 12, 2010 [3] with all proceeds going to designated charities: World Vision, Free The Children and War Child. [4]
"Wavin' Flag" debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100 on the issue dated March 27, 2010. It is the third song in the chart's history to debut at number one, after Eminem's "Crack a Bottle" and Taylor Swift's "Today Was a Fairytale" did so in February 2009 and February 2010, respectively.
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [5] | 1 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [6] | 89 |
This is the full list of performers featured on the track. [7]
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Keinan Abdi Warsame, better known by his stage name K'naan, is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence with the success of his single "Wavin' Flag", which was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Besides hip hop, K'naan's sound is influenced by elements of Somali music and world music. He is also involved in various philanthropic initiatives.
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"Wavin' Flag" is a song by Somali-Canadian artist K'naan from his album Troubadour. The song was originally written for Somalia and aspirations of its people for freedom. The original single was a hit in Canada and reached number two on the Canadian Hot 100 as the second official single from the album, after the single "ABCs", a minor hit. After an earthquake in Haiti in 2010, a remake of the song by an ad hoc supergroup of Canadian artists, credited as Young Artists for Haiti, became a charity single in Canada, reaching number one on the Canadian Hot 100 in its own right.
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