A new music video with actor, singer and rapper Utkarsh Ambudkar (Pitch Perfect, The Mindy Project, Barbershop 3) shares a message of love, hope and being the best you can possibly be. In addition to the reference to Michelle Obama’s now iconic statement, the lyrics of “We Go High” include Ambudkar’s musical re-telling of an inspiring text exchange he had with his mom Indu when he was stressed out on the morning after the November 8 election. Have a listen:
Created collaboratively with a team of vocalists, writers and producers, “We Go High” was released on November 24, Thanksgiving Day. The video’s bevy of cameo appearances include some desi actors viewers may recognize from TV such as Ravi Patel (Grandfathered), Parvesh Cheena (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Sakina Jaffrey (Timeless, The Mindy Project), and Sunkrish Bala (Castle). In a public Facebook post, Ambudkar had this to say about how the video came to be:
It has been an interesting last two weeks, to say the least. In response to all that has been happening in our country, we did the only thing we know how to do.
We made something.
He also described how the music video came together over the span of a few days thanks to a large group of participants working quickly.
On Thursday, November 17, 2016 we began reaching out to friends and family. By Monday, November 21, 2016 we locked picture with over 100 participants, most of whom I will try to name in the comments section below.
Thank you to the Love is Louder Community and Service Year for partnering with us to turn this message into action.
Thank you to my mother, Indu Ambudkar, for holding me accountable to my own humanity and demanding that I be my best self no matter what.
Read his full post for more details. For an extra-cute dose of family support, watch Ambudkar’s parents enthusiastically singing along to “We Go High” in this clip shared via Instagram:
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Pavani Yalamanchili is an editor at The Aerogram. Find her on Twitter at @_pavani, and follow The Aerogram at @theaerogram or on Facebook.
