Lin-Manuel Miranda could have spent his first Monday off relaxing since he no longer performs in the Broadway smash Hamilton , but the actor-composer needs to perform. On July 11, the Pulitzer Prize winner and Jennifer Lopez performed on Today to debut their duet to a live audience.
On Monday morning, Miranda teamed up with Lopez for the Today live performance on their recent collaboration, “Love Make the World Go Round.” The singers created the duet as a charity single to benefit the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting and the Hispanic Federation’s Proyecto Somos Orlando.
I’ll be on the Today show w @JLo this morning. See you soon!
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 11, 2016
The New York City crowd came with rainbow flags and colorful clothes to show their support. Approximately 50 survivors and family members of the Orlando victims were part of the crowd to watch Miranda and Lopez sing.
Moments from @Lin_Manuel and @JLo ‘s @TODAYshow performance of #LoveMakeTheWorldGoRound ? https://t.co/NV4ftlrlRj pic.twitter.com/PmHJbLbAGd
— Playbill (@playbill) July 11, 2016
The two entertainers had no problem drumming up excitement from the large crowd. Lopez motioned the crowd to hold hands together as the catchy tune played over the speakers. The audience got a chance to hear Miranda’s signature rapping skills throughout the song’s lyrics.
“What we got is love even when the sinners hate us / We cannot let them diminish or intimidate us / We sing out, we got the rhythm and the truth on our side / We cut through the divide and we do it with pride.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiMChvVDypI
Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly interviewed Lopez about the new song and how it came to life. Lopez told Daly and Guthrie that she had previously been working on the song on her own, but after hearing about the Orlando Pulse tragedy, Lopez wanted to finish the song and present it to the public as a way to spread love and happiness to the world.
“I heard [the song] in a different way. I was like, ‘The world needs this right now. The world really needs the message of love being the answer.’”
Jennifer Lopez wasn’t satisfied with how the song turned out as a solo venture, so she decided to recruit Lin-Manuel Miranda into performing the song as a duet with her. Lopez mentioned that trying to get a hold of the hard-working Miranda was a difficult process.
“I stalked him! He was like, ‘I have no time!’ and he didn’t, and I was like, ‘We have to do this.”
Eventually, Lopez convinced the Hamilton creator to work on “Love Make the World Go Round” with her, and he found the time to work and record his part on the single. Once the singers completed the song and listened to the final recording, Lopez and Miranda found themselves teary-eyed as they listened to the final recording.
Miranda’s duet with Lopez isn’t the only charity single that he lent out his vocals. In June, Miranda was part of a cover song recording of “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” a 1956 hit that the NYC theater community and celebrities sang and released as a benefit single so that the proceeds could fund the LGBT Center of Central Florida.
Saturday night was the last time that Miranda performed his role as Alexander Hamilton on Broadway, but he is certainly not slowing down anytime soon. Since he won’t be returning to Hamilton in the near future, Miranda did the “Hamilcut” to his long hair as a way to start the new things in his life.
Teach ’em how to say goodbye… pic.twitter.com/dJ49jUYHlh
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 10, 2016
While Miranda said goodbye to the role of Alexander Hamilton on Saturday night , he will still be a part of Hamilton in other ways. Miranda mentioned that he planned on seeing the award-winning musical as a theater goer, and he will participate in the casting calls for the other Hamilton productions that will open in other cities.
“Love Make the World Go Round” is now available on iTunes.
[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]