Pride Music: Billy Porter "Edelweiss"

When Tony Award winner & Pose star Billy Porter released his take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, "Edelweiss," he shared in the social media post:

The Edelweiss flower blooms in the cold and snow and reminds us that we can and must flourish in the darkest of times.

Billy chose to release the track as the lead single from his new album, Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rodgers, as the last presidential election has just occurred - and he was concerned.

Of course, now, we can see Billy was wise to be worried.

The recording was on my mind today as I was thinking about the beginning of Pride Month.

New Music: "Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers"

Billy Porter Presents The Should of Richard Rodgers

My longtime friend (and Tony Award winner!) Billy Porter drops his newest music project, Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers.

The new album is Billy's 4th studio album, and his first as producer and content curator.

Via press release:

“I like to think of this as the Richard Rodgers version of the Hamilton Mixtapes,” Porter said. “These are classic songs that everybody knows and loves, and I’m so excited for people to hear them in a brand new way.”

Tony and Grammy Award-Winner Billy Porter’s new studio album, Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers, will be released April 14, 2017 and will be available for pre-order tomorrow (Friday, March 3), it was announced today by Bee & El and Sony Masterworks Broadway.

 The album, which features new, soulful takes on classic Richard Rodgers songs, includes solos and duets from the following artists (in addition to Porter himself): Tony and Grammy Award winners Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton), Tony Award-winner Patina Miller (Pippin), Grammy Award winners Pentatonix and India.Arie, Tony Award nominees Brandon Victor Dixon (Shuffle Along), Joshua Henry (Violet), and Christopher Jackson (Hamilton), alongside YouTube sensation and Kinky Boots star Todrick Hall and multiple Grammy Award nominees Deborah Cox and Ledisi.

The complete track listing for Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers:

1. "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" (Pentatonix & Billy Porter)

2. "My Romance" (Leslie Odom Jr.)

3. "If I Loved You" (Renée Elise Goldsberry & Christopher Jackson)

4. "With a Song in My Heart" (Brandon Victor Dixon & Joshua Henry)

5. "I Have Dreamed" (Patina Miller)

6. "My Funny Valentine" (Cynthia Erivo)

7. "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" (Todrick Hall & Billy Porter)

8. "This Nearly was Mine" (Deborah Cox)

9. "Bewitched" (Ledisi featuring Zaire Park)

10. "Carefully Taught" (India.Arie & Billy Porter)

11. "Lady is a Tramp" (Billy Porter featuring Zaire Park)

12. "Edelweiss" (Billy Porter)

The pre-order for the album begins today, with an expected April 14 release date. Pre-order now on iTunes and immediately download Billy's reinterpretation of "Edelweiss."

Listen to "Edelweiss" below:

Sneak Peak: Billy Porter "Live At Lincoln Center"

Taking a few months off from his Tony Award winning role as "Lola" in the hit Broadway show Kinky Boots, Billy Porter recently knocked out two fab concerts for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series.

The performances were taped for a PBS special set to air on April 3rd - "Live From Lincoln Center" - and we get a sneak preview.

Check out Billy, the Broadway Inspirational Voices AND Billy's now famous thigh-high Kinky Boots in this performance of "Luck Be A Lady" from his latest CD Billy's Back On Broadway.