Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Jason Derulo, and More Join ‘Hands’ to Pay Tribute to Orlando Victims

In order to pay tribute to the 49 people killed in the shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, an all-star lineup of singers and songwriters have teamed up to produce the ballad “Hands.” The tribute features Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Derulo, Britney Spears, Tyler Glenn, Selena Gomez, Meghan Trainor, Halsey, Ty Herndon, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Juanes, Adam Lambert, Mary Lambert, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Kacey Musgraves, MNEK, Alex Newell, P!nk, Prince Royce, Nate Ruess, RuPaul, Troye Sivan, Gwen Stefani, and Jussie Smollett.
The song uses its title as a metaphor for the destructive and healing powers of human touch. “They can love or they can take / They can fight up until they save,” goes the chorus. “They can break the world / They can change it too.”
The idea for the song starting growing one day after the shooting, according to Billboard. Pop songwriter Justin Tranter — who wrote and produced the song alongside Julia Michaels, Mark Ronson and BloodPop® — immediately felt a call to duty when he heard about the horror. He has been proactive about raising awareness for LGBT issues.
“Like the rest of the world I woke up to the news that morning and was horrified and sad and scared,” Tranter told Billboard.
“Hands,” released via Interscope Records, will dedicate proceeds from its sales to the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, GLAAD, and Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund. Listen to the tribute below and buy it on iTunes here.