Rita Ora and 13-time Oscar nominated songwriter Diane Warren have collaborated a new song called “Finish Line” for a four-part ESPN docuseries called 37 Words that’s coming in June. It’s part of the Fifty/50 initiative, marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX. By prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, the federal law drastically increased the number of female student athletes in the U.S. But as Diane explains, the song isn’t just about that.
“It’s an important time for women to feel empowered and really know who you are and what your rights are,” Diane says of “Finish Line,” which she wrote and Rita sings. Rita tells ABC Audio that the significance of “Finish Line” is “way bigger than us.”
In it, she sings, “We’re taking it to the limit, ’til we win it/ ‘Til we look behind at the finish line, to the limit/’Til resistance is gone, we’ll keep pushing on.”
“It’s something that obviously applies to this, but it applies to life, it applies to whatever you’re going through,” Diane says of “Finish Line.” “And to me, the key is…making it fit specifically and at the same time being universal…That’s why these songs become anthems…Because you can make it be about your life. You can hear the song and go, ‘I’m gonna get up today and I’m just…gonna change the world!"”
37 Words chronicles the battle for equal rights in education and athletics. Rita says, “You’ll see the journey of not just this specific song…but I think, as well, it shines a light on the journeys of these women.”
A sneak preview of the song’s video will debut Sunday on American Idol.
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