Alternative pop artist ANOHNI covered the 1978 Gloria Gaynor classic “I Will Survive,” which the artist claims was originally intended for a Facebook ad campaign. ANOHNI states that she turned down a $200,000 offer to include the song in the ad, due to Facebook’s practices during the lead up to the 2016 election.
“I said no because I didn’t want to be complicit in Facebook’s hosting of fake news which might enable the re-election of Donald Trump,” ANOHNI explained. “They wrote back saying that they were placating other participants’ concerns by making donations to their charities of choice, in addition to paying them. I woke up the next morning and realized this isn’t even advertising; this is politics, and i don’t even know how deep this water is. This company Droga5 worked with Obama and Google and others. I had to walk away.”
ANOHNI’s heartfelt cover of “I Will Survive” is a complete reinvention of the original, taking the upbeat disco classic and reforming it into a somber ballad, with subdued organs, an acoustic guitar and light strings that lead into a passionate blues infused guitar solo. The singer’s vocals express both pain and triumph, adding another dimension to the song’s lyrics, which give it a unique sense of optimism in dark time.
This song is accompanied by a brief visual, showing ANOHNI in stilted frames intercut with images of transgender rights activist Chloe Dzubilo from 1992 to 1994. ANOHNI has a special relationship to the track, stating “I Will Survive” was “the first song I ever sang in nightclubs in NYC when I was 20 years old.”
The artist released “R.N.C. 2020” back in September, which eviscerated the Republican Party, including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. She released covers of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and Nina Simone’s “Be My Husband” earlier this year.
Leave a Comment