For Canadian singer-songwriter Paul DeRosa, there’s no shortage of inspiration when it comes to writing songs for Canada’s Paralympic athletes.
In 2019, DeRosa paired up with the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the CBC to record “Shine”, an emotionally driven song set to become the soundtrack for the Paralympic Games broadcast set for the summer of 2020. With the Games postponed to 2021 due to the Global pandemic, “Shine” and the athletes themselves are eagerly waiting for next summer to inspire the world once again.
As many would agree, the world needs a bit of hope right now. This has been the driver for DeRosa to continue to put his creative artistry to work. With all the setbacks that many have had to face in 2020, including our Canadian Paralympic athletes, DeRosa wanted to shed some optimism and is now in the process of recording a new track for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games set to take place in Beijing, China, 6 months after the Summer Games in Tokyo.
According to DeRosa,“the song titled “Champion”, is a broader reflection of every individual’s victories we, as humans can achieve. There is no better example of this than our Paralympic athletes. Being a Champion is not just about winning the race, it’s about beating the odds and achieving that goal.”
Despite the limitations with gatherings during the pandemic, DeRosa has been virtually collaborating and recording with vocalist Eva Avila, who is featured on the English and French recording of Shine.
The new track is set to be released in September 2021. “Shine” is currently available on iTunes and Spotify. All proceeds will go to supporting Canada’s Paralympic Athletes.
