Take Flight, Darrell Grant's New Song for the Future We Hope to See

Portland pianist and composer, Darrell Grant, has imparted an inspirational gift of hope and support to Friends of the Children–Portland through his latest digital recording and music video of an original song, “Take Flight.” The song features vocalist Michelle Willis. Grant plans to donate half of all the funds raised from the sale of this song to Friends of the Children–Portland.

According to Grant, “This project arose from my desire to represent the beauty, hope, and potential embodied in our young people.” He notes, “I have been inspired by their emotional resilience and courage in the face of the pandemic and the fight to end racism, and I see it as my role as an artist to invest in our future by looking to support future generations.” This sentiment is core to our mission at Friends of the Children, to impact generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors for 12+ years, no matter what.

In addition to the inspirational song, Grant brought together filmmaker Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal and Portland visual artist Alex Chiu to create the visuals for the project. The cover art for “Take Flight” displays an image of a mural at the entrance of Portland’s A/C Marriott hotel designed and led by Chiu. “This mural was another example of community members coming together,” Grant said. “As with so much of the art that has bloomed in our boarded-up downtown, it stands in stark contrast to the narratives we see each day on the news.” Cantú-Villarreal combined footage of the mural creation with community-submitted photos to create the film for “Take Flight.”

“I’m delighted to connect this project to the important work of Friends of the Children, who are committed to shepherding the potential of the next generation and making sure it has the chance to shine. It is ultimately for their futures that we fight so hard for a just and equitable world,” said Grant. We are touched and deeply honored that Darrell Grant chose Friends of the Children–Portland as the beneficiary for this project. “Take Flight” is available for purchase and download through Bandcamp with 50 percent of the proceeds to benefit Friends of the Children–Portland.