LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - September 22, 2016) - 16-year-old actor and recording artist, Oliver Richman's (www.oliverrichman.com) new song and video "Believe" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIZ21briWaw) offers a profound expression of hope in response to these increasingly troubled times.
The poignant, inspirational piano-driven ballad was written in the wake of recent tragic events by Oliver's mother, veteran performer and musical producer Lisa Dawn Miller (www.lisadawnmiller.com), with her songwriting and producing partner Mark Matson.
Its lyric conveys a message about the power we have to overcome darkness if we come together in a spirit of love: "Believe in our tomorrow/If we believe in who we are/Then the dream of no more sorrow/Can never really be that far…"
"I wanted to focus on the positive…on our resolve. I truly believe that nothing can overpower the strength and power of love," says Miller. "During troubled times, we have always come together to stand up against injustice and darkness. Our faith and belief in who we are as a people has always prevailed -- as the truth always does. Oliver has so much sensitivity in his voice and at the same time, he has the definitiveness and confidence to inspire hope and courage," she adds. "We feel so fortunate to have Oliver convey our message in such a passionate and incredibly heartfelt way."
Oliver loves school and is an Honors student in Los Angeles, making education his priority. He has won multiple awards in both the Drama and Shakespeare Festivals.
He is currently enrolled in AP English Language, one of his favorite classes. He created a clever and unique rap song, "Diagramming Club, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up0cimFsHT8) written by Miller and Matson, and shot a video extolling the unique virtue of sentence diagramming and how easy and fun it can be to learn about grammar.
In 2014, Oliver released a special EP honoring the 50th Anniversary of "For Once in My Life," written by his grandfather, legendary songwriter, Ron Miller, who passed away in 2007. Recorded by over 400 major label artists, including music icons Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, "For Once In My Life" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009. For the Special 50th Anniversary recording, Oliver included the rarely heard intro music, which was written by his late grandmother, Aurora Miller.
Oliver continued in his grandfather's footsteps with his release of Miller's classic, "Heaven Help Us All" in 2015. Richman spoke with the Huffington Post about what an honor it is and how grateful he is to carry the torch in honor of his grandfather's legacy.
Also in 2014, Richman continued his success with an emotional and unique rendition of the Bruno Mars hit "Count on Me" which he arranged and performed as a piano-only ballad, a departure from the original up-tempo recording. The music video to date has amassed nearly 75,000 views on YouTube.
In 2016, Richman teamed with his mother Lisa, the daughter of Ron Miller, to pay homage to mothers everywhere with "Today" a ballad that marked the artists' first ever vocal collaboration. Penned by Lisa and Matson, the piano and orchestra driven track addresses the difficult moment when it comes time to let go of an ailing parent. It is written alternately from the point of view of a parent who is facing what most parents face when it comes time to let go of their child and send them off into the world to begin their own life journey. Though universal in its powerful emotional message, the singer wrote it as a tribute to her ailing mother, Aurora Miller, and sang it for her in ICU on Mother's Day before her unfortunate passing.
At just 10 years old, Oliver was personally invited by Stevie Wonder to share the stage and sing "One Little Christmas Tree" at the Nokia Theatre, where the young singer received a standing ovation from more than 7,500 people. The song was written by Ron Miller and originally recorded by Wonder in 1967 for his one and only Christmas album, "Someday at Christmas" (also written by Miller). The same year, Richman was featured on Byron Allen's "Young Icons," a show about young people changing the world.
In the past year, Oliver also released "Hamlet the Musical" a video for his award winning performance which pays tribute to the late Glenn Frey by setting the Eagles' music to Shakespeare in a five-minute scene from "Hamlet." The work is performed a cappella, with fellow students Carley Heskett, Chris Kim and Kayvan Shaikhbahai.
Richman's powerful rendition and video release of "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked" went viral at age 9. Richman first appeared in "Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show" as "Young Frank Sinatra" at just 10 years old.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/9/22/11G115307/Images/cover_art_believe_no_text-4475ab8d856aa26da4e190aeb312781e.jpg
Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIZ21briWaw
Contact Information:
Contact:
Chrissy Sutphin
CAS PR
Ph: 703-505-0207
