Funding contemporary musicians to write and record new songs that capture the spirit of NYCs neighborhoods and current struggles.
The Great NYC Songbook Commissioning Project
From Take the A Train to Empire State of Mind, songs define NYCs identity for generations. Mamdani launches a project to create a new songbook for the 21st century. The city commissions a diverse array of songwritersfrom hip-hop producers to folk singers to jazz composersto create original songs about modern NYC: the experience of a delivery rider, the changing face of a specific block, the hope of the climate movement. The songs are recorded by the artists with city support, released as a free album, and promoted through performances in schools and public spaces.
The project documents the citys ongoing story through its most popular art form and creates new potential standards. Our citys anthem shouldnt be 80 years old, Mamdani says. We need new songs for new times, songs that speak to the lives being lived right now in all five boroughs. This project is a cultural snapshot and an investment in the music that will define us for future generations.
