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'One Woman' sing their support on day of celebration
By Bharati Naik, CNN
updated 11:39 PM EST, Fri March 8, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The song "One Woman" has been released to celebrate women worldwide on International Women's Day
- Twenty five artists from 20 countries took part in the production
- Songwriter Beth Blatt penned the lyrics to signify the inter-relatedness of the world
London (CNN) -- "We are One Woman, you cry and I hear you. We are One Woman, you sing, I sing along."
These are the words from the song track "One Woman," a song that UN Women have launched to celebrate women worldwide on International Women's Day.
Twenty five artists from 20 countries took part in the production, which was inspired by UN Women's own projects worldwide.
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Celebrating International Women's Day
The song was performed by artists who donated their time to create a message of hope and celebration. UN Women's aim is to engage listeners, and encourage them to join in the cause of women's empowerment and gender equality.
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Beth Blatt, founder of Hope Sings, wrote the lyrics. The aim, she said, was to signify the inter-relatedness of the world.
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"We are all connected. Every woman's victory is a victory for us all," Blatt said.
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UN Women's work in training female police officers, and men marching for women's rights, are some of the stories that Beth thought of while penning the lyrics. She then identified singers from China to Mexico to be part of the global project.
Yuna Zarai, a pop singer-songwriter from Malaysia, was one of the performers. She said that the song is based on real women and the problems they face in everyday life.
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"I have a large fan base back home. And this is an amazing way to teach all the girls out there, especially the girls in Malaysia," said Zarai. "I feel like there is so much potential in them to be successful, and it's a good message to all the younger generations to just sort of believe in themselves and also take care of one another."
Zarai said the world does not understand the country's underlying violence against women. "I feel like there should be more awareness and it should start from an early age. I feel like in school there should be an education about women and violence,' she said.
Costa Rican singer Debbie Nova echoed Yuna's reasons for participating in the song. Nova said artists have a responsibility to use their voices and instruments to communicate powerful and positive messages.
"I think women in Costa Rica and Latin America in general are still very oppressed, The figure of a man is still very prominent as the traditional calling-the-shots figure in the family unit," she said.
Proceeds from "One Woman" sales will support programs organized by UN Women.
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