Nile Rodgers chose the vernal equinox (March 20) to premiere his new music video for the first new Chic single in 23 years – I’ll Be There. The timing of the release with the equinox was to signify the rebirth of the Chic Organisation. The single is the first cut to be lifted from their forthcoming album It’s About Time – the first Chic album since 1992’s Chic-ism. The album is due for release later this year and could feature collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Sir Elton John and Janelle Monae.
The idea for the album came to being in 2010 when Rodgers found a box of tapes with unfinished Chic material featuring vocals from the late Edwards and Luther Vandross, among others. After listening to it all it gave Rodgers the inspiration to finish the material. However, a few months later he learned he had prostrate cancer – putting the album’s theme of ‘time’ into sharp perspective.
Now, cancer-free, Rodgers said: “I’ve always had a lot to say, but it’s always worked best when I say it through music. So when I thought about where I was at this point in my life, all I kept thinking about was time.”
I’ll Be There is a collaboration with house duo The Martinez Brothers – it’s a classic disco-funk sound, utilizing a four-on-the-floor groove, soulful harmonies and Rodgers’ amazing rhythm guitar.
The song is a tribute to late Chic founder Bernard Edwards, who passed away back in 1996. “When I found my partner Bernard’s body in the room, I said, ‘Now I can be there for you in death the way you were there for me in life’,” Rodgers recently told Digital Spy.
The Inez & Vindooh-directed music video features supermodel Karlie Kloss and some wonderful vintage footage of Chic performing on Soul Train.
To watch this video in Creation 5, just tap here.
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