Press.disney.co.uk
New version of Starting Now, part of Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration initiative celebrating courage and kindness, features 15 performers in their local languages. New song and video launch globally on VEVO at 2pm BST on Wednesday, July 21st
Disney EMEA has brought together 15 different performers from across the world to record a brand new version of original song, Starting Now, as part of their Ultimate Princess Celebration initiative.
The song, inspired by Disney Princesses and Queens and celebrating the heroines who fill our world with courage and kindness, was initially recorded by global superstar and Grammy Award-winning artist Brandy. The song, produced by Grammy Award-nominee Oak Felder and written by Jason Mater, Jordan Powers and Darren Criss, was released on Walt Disney Records on May 21. Artists across the world have also released local versions of Starting Now since then.
Now Disney have brought 15 of those performers together to record a multi-language version with the lyrics in their local languages.
The artists and their languages are as follows: Brandy – English; Leslie Clio – German; Cerise Calixte – French; Noemi – Italian; Nerea Rodríguez – Spanish (Spain); Karol Sevilla – Spanish (Latin America); Agnes Nunes – Portuguese; Mimi Korg – Russian; Alicja Szemplińska – Polish; Krisiya – Bulgarian ; Feli – Romanian; Gioia Parijs – Dutch; Ailee – Korean; Eden Alene – Hebrew and Stefania – Greek.
The song and music video can be viewed here.
The Ultimate Princess Celebration, launched in April 2021, is a year-long event spotlighting the courage and kindness Disney heroines inspire in fans around the world. From Cinderella’s generosity and Belle’s ingenuity, to Mulan’s selflessness and Moana’s adventurous spirit, Disney EMEA is honoring these strong women through publishing – the Tales of Courage and Kindness Story Collection - music, products, experiences as well as giving back through charitable initiatives across the region.
Families can click here to download the 14 inspiring stories from the Tales of Courage and Kindness Story Collection, honoring Disney’s iconic Disney Princesses and Queens. The stories, available for free, provide fans with the inspiration to carry out their own small acts of kindness and help to create a kinder world.
-- Ends --
For further information, please contact: james.matheson@disney.com
Notes to editors:
Please see details of the different artists featuring in Disney’s new version of Starting Now.
English – Brandy:
Global superstar and Grammy Award-winning recording artist Brandy, who starred as the beloved princess in The Wonderful World of Disney, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, sings the original English version of Starting Now. The song, produced by Grammy Award nominee Oak Felder and written by Jason Mater, Jordan Powers and Darren Criss, was released on Walt Disney Records on May 21.
German - Leslie Clio:
Leslie Clio is an established artist who has released four critically acclaimed albums on Universal, with her first record “Gladys” earning her a nomination for an "ECHO" Award in the category "Best National Female Artist". The first single from her second album “My Heart Ain’t That Broken” has exceeded 20 million streams on Spotify. Her third, critically acclaimed record “Purple” was released in May 2017. In 2018 she was part of the cast of Germany’s television series “Sing meinen Song” and in 2020 Leslie released singles off her fourth album, due for release later in 2021.
French - Cerise Calixte:
Cerise Calixte is a French singer, actor, dancer and TV host. She started her career on stage, and has since starred in different musicals in Paris, including BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and AVENUE Q. Her talent allowed her to become the French voice of MOANA and singer of the title song “How Far I’ll Go”. With the release of her album “Cerise Chante Disney” (over 2 million streams), she has become one of the leading Disney ambassadors in France. Cerise released a single “Juste un peu d’amour” in May 2021 and will star in the music tour “Disney en concert” across France starting September 2021.
Italian – Noemi:
Noemi (real name Veronica Scopelliti) is a famous Italian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2009, after competing in the second season of the Italian talent show X Factor. From that point her career has grown and grown. She has taken part in the Sanremo Festival five times. She collaborated with Disney for the first time in 2012, singing one song in Disney.Pixar’s BRAVE.
Spanish - Nerea Rodíguez:
Nerea became famous in Spain after participating in the popular singing TV talent show "Operación Triunfo". She became very popular because of her kindness after sharing her bullying experience when she was a child. She considers herself a big Disney fan and she even sang a Moana song in the talent show.
Russian - Mimi Korg:
The Russian version is performed by Mimi Korg, the lead singer of the FRUKTЫ band, widely known for performing on the late night show “Vecherniy Urgant” (Late Night Urgant).
Polish - Alicja Szemplińska:
Alicja Szemplińska, aka ALICJA, is a 19-year-old singer from Poland. She won the Polish edition of “The Voice” in 2019. In 2020 she was selected to represent Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest prior to the event being cancelled due to Covid-19. When the Polish “Starting Now” single (called “Każda z nas”) was released, Alicja was graduating from high school. Pocahontas is her favourite Disney Princess – she performed “Colours of the Wind” at one of her first musical competitions as a child.
Bulgarian – Krisyia:
Krisyia is a 16-year-old singer from Bulgaria, but has been a household name for a long time. She’s been performing since she was six, frequently appearing on national television. In 2014 she represented Bulgaria in the Junior Eurovision song contest and came second. Fans often refer to her as the Bulgarian Princess. Her favourite character is Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”.
Romanian – Feli:
Feli is a renowned singer and songwriter in Romania who seamlessly transitions between genres -from folk and rap, to blues, rock and pop. She launched her career in 2014 and loves expressing herself through music. She is a mother of a two-year-old girl.
Dutch - Gioia Parijs:
Gioia has been a singer and actress from an early age, playing in musicals in various theatres in The Netherlands and Belgium at six years old. In 2019, she was part of the group 6Times, where she participated in the Junior Song Contest and took second place. In addition to her successful career as a singer, Gioia also voices several Disney characters, including Little Nala in The Lion King and Little Dory in Finding Dory.
Hebrew- Eden Alene:
An Israeli singer of Ethiopian-Jewish descent, 20 year-old Eden Alene is from Jerusalem. Having won the seventh season of the singing competition The Rising Star, she was set to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, with her song "Feker Libi". After that was unfortuantely cancelled due to COVID-19, she did end up representing Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, this time with "Set Me Free".