Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday featured a show-stopping rendition of the National Anthem by Lady Gaga and a medley of “America The Beautiful” and “This Land Is Your Land” by Jennifer Lopez. But all eyes were also on the 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman, who recited her moving poem “The Hill We Climb.” Gorman’s words won over the hearts of viewers everywhere, including producer Rostam, who was so captivated by the poet’s words that he transformed them into a touching piano ballad.
Alongside the new song, Rostam explained how he wrote the composition. “I was deeply moved by Amanda Gorman’s poem this morning,” he wrote. “I went to my studio and improvised three piano takes while listening back to the speech. The following video is take two in its entirety.”
Not only is Gorman a recent Harvard grad, but she was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate and also the youngest inaugural poet in US history. “The Hill We Climb” was penned while Gorman watched the Capitol building insurrection unfold before her eyes earlier this month. Throughout her prose, Gorman addresses white supremacy and the truths we as a country must reconcile in order to arrive at a collective healing.
Listen to Rostam’s “The Hill We Climb” improvisation above.
