SALT LAKE CITY — “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda released a new original song today to help raise money for Puerto Rican hurricane relief.
Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, and many of Puerto Rico’s residents still lack access to electricity and clean water, according to theatlantic.com.
“I was like every Puerto Rican with ties to the island, with family on the island,” Miranda told the Associated Press. “We all had a terrible few days of silence. For some, those days were weeks. For me, that helplessness turned into, ‘OK, well what can I write that will help? Can I write a tune that we can monetize?’”
The answer to that question is his new song “Almost Like Praying,” a title that stems from a lyric in “Maria” from "West Side Story."
The song’s lyrics list the 78 towns in Puerto Rico — from the bigger cities on the coast to the more rural, inland communities. “Almost Like Praying” features vocal help from many Hispanic singers including Jennifer Lopez, Luis Fonsi and Gloria Estefan. All proceeds from downloads and streams will go to The Hispanic Federation’s disaster relief fund, according to the Associated Press.