Brandi Carlile Wrote an Original Song for NBC's Hit Nature Doc Series, The Americas (LISTEN)
Brandi Carlile wrote an original song for The Americas. Here's what she had to say about it.
Brandi Carlile is a country music legend. The eleven-time Grammy winner has been cranking out the hits for years, and whether you know her from the breakthrough song “The Story” or her collaborations with Elton John and Dolly Parton, she has a talent for hitting all the right notes. She proved that once again with the original song she created for NBC's The Americas.
Blending folk, pop, Americana, and country, she’s always charming on stage, and we’re pretty sure her upcoming summer tour in the UK and Europe will be a hot ticket. Luckily, she’ll land right in our living rooms this weekend as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on April 5. None other than Elton John will join her. The duo are real-life friends; they’ve taken vacations together and performed many times before — but never as a duo on SNL.
Expect the chemistry to be off the charts as they sing the Oscar-nominated song “Never Too Late” from the eponymous 2024 documentary about Elton John’s life. Their collaborative LP, “Who Believes in Angels?” was just released on April 4.
Brandi Carlile's collaboration for The Americas
Carlile’s star power extends beyond the stage, too. The singer-songwriter has written and performed for movie soundtracks and is currently wowing audiences with her new song for The Americas, a first-of-its-kind nature series from NBC/Peacock that focuses on the whole of the Western Hemisphere.
Called “Wandering,” the track is a collaboration with the Makah Singers, a tribal group from Neah Bay, Washington. The emotionally powerful vocals set the mood for the stunning scenes that play out on-screen, like the mating dance of 40,000 flamingos in Bolivia (Episode 7) or a rare pod of blue whales racing in the Gulf of California (Episode 9). Bonus: Tom Hanks provides the narration for the series, giving David Attenborough a run for his money.
Listen to Brandi Carlile's new song "Wandering"
Carlile is always supportive of her fellow musicians, and when asked how The Americas song came about, she put the spotlight on her collaborators.
“When I was approached to write and perform a song for The Americas, I was absolutely thrilled,” she said in a statement via “Rolling Stone.”
She continued, “For me, the Makah people have been the bedrock of what it means to truly know the Pacific Northwest. Alongside the many proud tribes of the PNW, they are and always will be the heart and soul at the gates of the Salish Sea. Of course, this gorgeous and thought-provoking series spans the entire continent and miles and miles of Indigenous peoples’ land. ‘Wandering’ is so much more than a song.”
Where to watch The Americas
All eight episodes of The Americas are now available to stream on Peacock! A making-of special will air on NBC on Sunday, April 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and will be available on Peacock the following day.
