DAVID FOSTER - FOSTER + WILL.I.AM DEBUT OBAMA ANTHEM

FOSTER + WILL.I.AM DEBUT OBAMA ANTHEM

Songwriter DAVID FOSTER and hip-hop icon will.i.am have joined forces to pen an unofficial anthem for President-elect BARACK OBAMA's inauguration on Tuesday (20Jan09).
The pair premiered America's Song on Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show on Monday (19Jan09).
The uplifting new anthem features verses sung by country star Faith Hill, Bono, Mary J. Blige and Seal.
Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am admits the odd couple wrote the song after having dinner at his house recently.
He recalls, "He wrote the chords and he said, 'It's getting late, I'm gonna go home. Is this all you're writing?'
"I said, 'I'll have a treatment by four o'clock in the morning.' He said, 'Yeah, right!' I said, 'I bet you a hundred bucks.'"
Foster adds, "Five o'clock in the morning. Of course I wasn't up; he was."
Talking on Winfrey's show, cheeky will.i.am said, "It's a recession; I need my hundred bucks."
The song only came together in the past week - will.i.am and Foster flew to Tennessee to record Hill's segment on Wednesday (15Jan09) and will.i.am recorded Bono's bit on Saturday (17Jan09).
Meanwhile, Blige recorded her part on Sunday (19Jan09) after performing at Obama's pre-inauguration concert and tribute at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and Seal flew in from Cannes, France over the weekend to add his vocals.
The song is available as a free download on inauguration day.