On an occasion as monumental as World Pride and the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots colliding together in New York City this June, we definitely need some heavy hitters to help provide us with the perfect soundtrack to celebrate how far our community has come, and at the same time, remind us what battles lie ahead of us.
Heather Small’s “Proud” has always been one of the quintessential anthems of any pride season, but this year, every word means so much more. As “Proud” approaches it’s 20th Anniversary, Swishcraft Music has decided to release a completely new production of “Proud” by Heather Small feat. Dirty Disco & Matt Consola in time for the world to celebrate both World Pride NYC (2019) and Stonewall 50. With a new radio/pop version produced by American production team The Rip City Boys (Matt Consola & Aaron Altemose), eight additional club mixes are also being released by Dirty Disco, Division 4 & Matt Consola, Joe Gauthreaux & Leanh, Testone, Lee Harris, Wayne G & Porl Young, Michel Mizrahi, and the Rip City Boy’s (Matt Consola & Aaron Altemose).
A little history for all of us; In May of 2000, former M People lead singer Heather Small released the single “Proud” that immediately morphed itself into the Pride Anthem for a new generation, in addition to serving as an inspirational theme for both organizations and causes around the globe. Co-written and produced by Peter-John Vettese, the “Proud” album version peaked at #16 in her native UK charts selling over 200,000 copies and was certified Silver, while the club mixes soared to chart Top 5 on International dance charts including Billboard Dance and ARIA, and featured on soundtracks for high profile and landmark television and motion pictures including Queer As Folk (USA) and Akeelah and the Bee.
Head on over to iTunes and all streaming service and grab a copy of this landmark anthem here: