York singer releases viral video ahead of Olympics
The music video, which features more than 38 athletes from around the world, has more than 10,000 views on Facebook.
When Andrew Abaria decided to become a singer-songwriter eight years ago, he knew the odds were not in his favor.
“It’s a tough road to get to the top,” he said.
Throughout his career, the 33-year-old has performed at weddings and funerals, written original songs for events, arranged pieces, conducted ensembles, organized rehearsals – just about everything you can do to make money in the music business.
Most recently, the Oregon native was earning a living with the four-part harmony group Cloudwalkers before he moved to York last year.
But his greatest success, he says, is simply not giving up – a message that’s very evident in his latest solo (and now viral) release, “Champion.”
The song, which has been more than two years in the making, is an anthem for everyone who works tirelessly behind the scenes to perfect their craft, whether it’s music, art or even sports, Abaria said. And to illustrate that idea, he edited clips of athlete’s “champion moments” together into a music video, which has now gone viral with 10,000 views on Facebook.
The video features 38 athletes from around the world, including 11-year-old York native Antwoine Dorm, who recently placed third in the USA Boxing Junior Olympic National Championships for his age group this year.
“I thought since the Olympics are coming up, and I know a lot of athletic people, I asked them to submit moments of defeat and victory,” Abaria said. “Seeing Antwoine and all the other athletes do inspirational things is definitely a breath of fresh air considering everything that is going on right now in the world.”
Underneath each video clip, Abaria included the number of years that each athlete has been practicing his or her sport to show the years of work that go into creating these “champion moments.”
“I’m showing a lot of victory moments, but I really just wanted to show people that it’s a long road to become a champion,” Abaria said. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Abaria released the video in mid-July, just a few weeks before the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which he said is perfect timing to share his message.
“It’s unfair to show the glorious moments of people winning medals without explaining to them the serious road of dedication and determination,” he said. “I feel it’s my moral obligation to share with people … what it truly takes to be on that path.”
None of the athletes featured in the video are actually competing in the Olympics this year. Instead, Abaria said he wanted to feature the everyday athlete who works just as hard for a moment of victory.
“I wanted to inspire people on paths like mine,” he said. “As someone working on a craft, I really wanted to celebrate the fact that people work really hard when the lights are off and the gym is closed and the studio is closed,” he said.
“Champion” is a track on Abaria’s fourth album of original music, “Opus 1,” released in May.
To hear more of his music, visit andrewabaria.com.
Follow Andrew Abaria
- Twitter: @AndrewAbaria
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- Facebook: facebook.com/andrewabariamusic
- YouTube: youtube.com/user/AndrewAbaria