Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Tyler Shaw and many more prominent Canadian artists have joined forces to record and release a cover of the Bill Withers classic ‘Lean On Me’ to benefit the Canadian Red Cross COVID-19 related initiatives.

Tyler Shaw, Fefe Dobson and Dan Kanter served as ambassadors for the project, and together they recruited the likes of Avril Lavigne, Bad Child, Bryan Adams, Buffy Staint-Marie, Command Sisters, Desiire, Donovan Woods, Geddy Lee from Rush, Jann Arden, Johnny Orlando, Josh Ramsay from Marianas Trench, Jules Halpern, Justin Bieber, Marie Mai, Michael Bublé, Olivia Lunny, Ryland James, Sarah McLachlan, Scott Helman, Serena Ryder, Shawn Hook, TIKA, The Tenors and Walk Off the Earth to all collaborate on the track under the name ArtistsCAN.

 

 

The song was produced by Canadian GRAMMY nominated producer, Jon Levine, who has co-written and produced songs for artists such as Rachel Platten, Nelly Furtado, Andy Grammer, Dua Lipa, Cher Lloyd, T-Boz, Avril Lavigne, K’Naan, Bono, Selena Gomez, Bebe Rexha, Chris Rene, Drake and Anjulie.

Bill Withers, the soul legend who penned timeless classics like ‘Lean on Me’, ‘Lovely Day’, and ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, sadly passed away on March 30th from heart complications in Los Angeles at the age of 81. ‘Lean On Me’ has emerged in recent weeks as an anthem of hope and solidarity in the wake of COVID-19, so the cover serves as a fitting tribute to Bill’s legacy and carries on his message of togetherness and resilience.

Canadians can contribute to this initiative simply by streaming the single on their preferred music streaming platform, viewing the official music video or downloading the single from the digital music retailer of their choice.

Any monetary donations can be contributed by visiting redcross.ca/leanonme or by texting ‘LEANONME’ to 20222* to donate $10 from your mobile device, at your discretion.

*Standard Text Message Rates Apply. You may opt-out of receiving a call from the Red Cross regarding your donation by texting ‘NO THANKS’ to 20222.

Filed under: artistscan, Justin Bieber, Tyler Shaw