By Melody Chiu
Nearly a week after a gunman took 49 innocent lives and injured more than 50 other people at gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Christina Aguilera announced she is donating proceeds from her emotional new single to those affected by the massacre.
“The horrific tragedy that occurred in Orlando continues to weigh heavily on my mind. I am sending so much love and so many prayers to the victims and their families,” the star, 35, wrote in a heartfelt letter posted late Thursday night on her website. “Like so many, I want to help be part of the change this world needs to make it a beautiful inclusive place where humanity can love each other freely and passionately.”
Aguilera co-wrote the song, titled “Change,” along with Fancy and Flo Reutter. All of their earnings on U.S. ITunes downloads for the next three months will be donated to the National Compassion Fund to directly benefit the Orlando shooting victims and their families. The label and publisher will also be donating proceeds.
“Waiting for a change to set us free / Waiting for the day when you can be you and I can be me / Waiting for hope to come around / Waiting for the day when hate is lost and love is found / Waiting for a change,” she sings in the chorus.
“We live in a time of diversity, in a time of endless possibilities, in a time where expression of oneself is something to be celebrated,” wrote Aguilera on her site. “And I am left wondering how people filled with so much love could be taken by so much hate. Though there is such heavy sadness, I believe that there is much more love in the world than we know. We need to learn to love again, we need to learn that one person does make a difference; we need to keep love in our hearts.”
The Voice coach urged her fans to “spread love, encourage individuality and make a difference to others. We are all in this together, as one, united in love,” she concluded.