LOS ANGELES — Multi-Grammy Award-winning Golden Globe nominee Chris Cornell is featured in a new video released on Thursday in conjunction with his Grammy-nominated song “The Promise”. In the clip, Cornell’s children, Toni, Lily and Christopher vow to continue to honor their late father’s pledge to raise awareness for human rights. A number of stars have come together to show their support and solidarity for the cause as well, including Elton John, Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand, George Clooney and many more. Watch the video below.
As part of his long career as a songwriter and performer, Cornell wrote and recorded the title song for “The Promise” (2017), the first feature film to highlight the story of the Armenian genocide. All proceeds from the film have gone toward human rights causes, including creation of the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law. Cornell donated all of his proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee. In November, the song received a nomination for best rock performance at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Last month, a coalition led by Vicky Cornell, the wife of the late singer, created an endowed fund of more than $1 million to support student scholarships at UCLA School of Law. The Chris Cornell Scholarship honors Cornell’s commitment to justice, human rights and advocacy for those in need. Members of the coalition include several friends and colleagues of Cornell as well as supporters of UCLA Law.
Cornell’s career began in 1984, when he founded the trailblazing Seattle-based band Soundgarden. A chief architect of the 1990s grunge movement and one of the most powerful voices in rock, Cornell later had a successful career as a solo artist and founder of Audioslave. He reunited with Soundgarden in 2010. Selling more than 30 million records worldwide, Cornell forged a unique identity over three decades as a singer, guitarist, composer and lyricist. Cornell died in May 2017 at the age of 52, but his artistic and humanitarian legacy lives on.
Fans are encouraged to post their “Promise” videos on social media using the hashtag #keepthepromise.
