NEW ORIGINAL SONG TO BE FEATURED IN THE FORTHCOMING FILM THE PROMISE STARRING ACADEMY AWARD WINNING ACTOR CHRISTIAN BALE AND GOLDEN GLOBE WINNING ACTOR OSCAR ISAAC DUE FOR RELEASE ON APRIL 21, 2017 BY OPEN ROAD FILMS
CORNELL TO DONATE PROCEEDS TO INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
Multi-Grammy® Award-winning and Golden Globe nominated singer/songwriter Chris Cornell released a new original song entitled “The Promise” today. Cornell wrote the song for the forthcoming feature film THE PROMISE starring Academy Award winning actor Christian Bale and Golden Globe winning actor Oscar Isaac. THE PROMISE is directed by Terry George and will be released in theatres on April 21, 2017 by Open Road Films. Cornell unveiled a lyric video for the song today which can be seen HERE and the song is now available at all streaming services and digital retailers. Cornell will donate his proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee. The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.
Cornell’s involvement in THE PROMISE stemmed from his close friendship with the film’s producer, Eric Esrailian. Having married into a Greek family, Cornell had been exposed for years to stories about similar treatment suffered by the Greeks at the hands of the Turkish-ruled Ottoman Empire. "If it’s something you or your family members went through, it’s something you’re faced with confronting on a daily basis,” said Cornell. Immersed in these stories and after further research, he was inspired by the strength and perseverance of those who were affected by these tragic events. Cornell aimed to help tell the story of the film, but also to connect it to the kind of brutality we still face today.
“The film and plot are your band mates and the song has to be true to the story and the characters in it,” he added. “’The Promise’ to me is mainly about paying homage to those we lost in the Armenian Genocide, but it’s also about shining a light on more recent atrocities. The same methods used in the Armenian genocide were used to carry out crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Darfur, Rwanda and right now in Syria on multiple fronts, contributing to a massive global refugee crisis. Unfortunately, the words ‘never again’ seem like just words when we recall these mass executions of the twentieth century, as well as renewed racism and prejudice around the world. Even in the US, the warning signs - isolating groups based on race and religion - are evident. We really need to tell these stories and keep telling them in as many different ways as we can. As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to trudge ahead in our lives and not look at the difficult and challenging moments… but I think it’s important. Educating ourselves on the past is the best way to understand the present and avoid future atrocities by understanding and intervening. We must educate and stand as one to combat this fear and violence, and as citizens of the world, work to protect each other’s human rights.”
Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, Reservation Road, The Shore), THE PROMISE takes place in 1914. As the Great War looms, the mighty Ottoman Empire is crumbling. Constantinople, the once vibrant, multicultural capital on the shores of the Bosporus, is about to be consumed by chaos. Michael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), arrives in the cosmopolitan hub as a medial student determined to bring modern medicine back to Siroun, his ancestral village in Southern Turkey where Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians have lived side by side for centuries. Photojournalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale) has come here only partly to cover geo-politics. He is mesmerized by his love for Ana (Charlotte le Bon), an Armenian artist he has accompanied from Paris after the sudden death of her father. When Michael meets Ana, their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between the two men. As the Turks form an alliance with Germany and the Empire turns violently against its own ethnic minorities, their conflicting passions must be deferred while they join forces to survive even as events threaten to overwhelm them.
To watch the trailer for the film, click HERE and for more information on the film visit www.thepromise.movie.
About Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is a modern innovator who transcends genre. He was the chief architect of the 90s grunge movement and remains one of the best voices of all time. Achieving multi-platinum success with three legendary bands - selling over 30 million records worldwide - he has forged his own unique identity over three decades as a Grammy award-winning, Golden Globe nominated singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer and lyricist.
His career began with Seattle trailblazers Soundgarden, whose wild soundscapes combined visceral punk attitude with artistic depth. Powerfully original, they were the first of their generation of Seattle bands to sign to a major label in 1989 and their work continued to evolve over the course of seven groundbreaking albums. Soundgarden made a historic return to the live stage in 2010 and have since toured the world, releasing the all-new studio album, KING ANIMAL, to widespread acclaim.
Cornell has continually redefined his sound and vision. In 1990, side project Temple of the Dog saw him experiment with a more soulful style alongside the future members of Pearl Jam. Later in the decade, his critically acclaimed solo album EUPHORIA MORNING combined lush melody and instrumentation with lyrics which spoke of alienation and despair. And as the millennium turned, he joined with three other musical pioneers from Rage Against the Machine to create supergroup Audioslave. The multi-platinum band released three albums and toured stadiums around the world, becoming the first American rock group to perform a massive free concert in Castro's Cuba. Cornell has also collaborated with many different artists, most recently the Zac Brown Band on their single “Heavy Is The Head”, which peaked at #1 on rock radio in the US.
His soundtrack work has spanned both big budget and independent cinema. He was the first male American artist to write and perform the theme song for a James Bond movie (“You Know My Name” for Casino Royale). He wrote the end title song "Live to Rise" for The Avengers, the third highest grossing film of all time. He duetted with Joy Williams on his song “Misery Chain” which appeared on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning 12 Years A Slave and his song “The Keeper” from Marc Forster’s Machine Gun Preacher was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2012.
Cornell’s solo acoustic ‘Songbook’ tour attracted sellout crowds and critical acclaim worldwide. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News observed, “sometimes you don't recognize the full power of a voice until you strip everything away from it.” The tour’s reinterpretations of classic Cornell songs are featured on his 2011 live album of the same name.
HIGHER TRUTH, his fifth solo album, reflects an expressive intimacy similar to that of SONGBOOK, while also displaying his evolution and growth as a master craftsman songwriter. Following the album’s release Cornell embarked on a critically acclaimed worldwide sold out tour which was followed by a tour with Temple of The Dog, marking the first time the band has toured since they released their storied and groundbreaking self-titled album over 25 years ago. All dates sold out immediately.
Cornell has also become involved in philanthropy; using music to support causes that help foster change. The Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation is currently raising funds and partnering with charitable organizations to mobilize support for the most vulnerable children facing issues surrounding including homelessness, poverty, abuse and neglect.
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