Hear Olivia Newton-John Sing About Her 'Dream' on Long Lost Recording Jim Brickman Discovered After Her Death (Exclusive)

• Olivia Newton-John performs the previously unheard song “My Dream”, which is released on September 20
• Friend and collaborator Jim Brickman discovered the unfinished song while digging through tapes after her death from breast cancer
• All proceeds from “My Dream” will go to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Foundation

Olivia Newton-John’s voice lives on.

Two years after the Grammy winner i Fat star who has died of breast cancer at the age of 73, the never-before-heard song “My Dream” is set to be released thanks to her good friend and musical collaborator Jim Brickman. Sharing here an exclusive preview of the new song and the touching story behind it, Brickman reflects on a friend he loved and lost.

“I met Olivia when they invited me to open for her on tour,” he tells PEOPLE. “A really great honor and a wonderful musical match. She did something that ‘stars’ rarely do. She stood backstage and watched my set almost every night, many times with curlers in her hair. It was so supportive and kind, inspiring to give it my all of myself. It’s a wonderful memory, I just see it there.”

The two formed a close friendship and began writing songs together. It wasn’t until after she died, and Brickman was digging through old tapes, that he found an unfinished version of “My Dream.”

Jim Brickman and Olivia Newton-John.

Courtesy of Jim Brickman

Reflecting back, “It all happened in one day at Olivia’s house in Malibu,” he says. “Writing first thing in the morning, then recording a quick demo in the afternoon at the studio of John Farrar, Olivia’s longtime collaborator. The version you hear now is from that original session. A very relaxed and happy day.”

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Originally, “It started out as a romantic duet,” he says, “but now it became more meaningful as a theme that resonated with Olivia about her dream and hope for a cure for cancer.”

Olivia Newton-John with husband John Easterling and daughter Chloe Lattanzi at the 2022 Wellness Walk in Melbourne, Australia.

Courtesy of ONJ Cancer Center

Newton-John has spent much of her life advocating for cancer patients, better research and a holistic approach to cancer treatment. In a video shot for her Olivia Newton-John Foundation, she says: “My dream is that we will achieve a world beyond cancer. And I think we can do it!” So Brickman is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from “My dream” to a fund run by Newton-John’s widower, John Easterling.

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“How generous of Jim Brickman and their entire team to donate all proceeds from this inspirational song,” Easterling tells PEOPLE. “I mean, it wasn’t a coincidence that he found this song that they did that they never released. And it’s so timely with the results and the things that we’re seeing.”

“My Dream” by Olivia Newton-John, Jim Brickman and Il Vol.

Courtesy of Jim Brickman

With the fund, “we’re sponsoring herbal medicine and cancer research. And the beauty of that is we’re seeing some pretty amazing early-stage results,” Easterling says of working with Dr. Kumar at the University of British Columbia. As for the song, “how appropriate the title is,” he adds. “Olivia’s dream was really to realize a world beyond cancer.”

Italian trio Il Volo can thank Brickman, a well-known songwriter and pianist, for helping him finish the song, which had only the Newton-John part of the duet recorded when he found it.

Olivia Newton-John and Jim Brickman.

Courtesy of Jim Brickman

“I wanted the song to be shared globally and it needed an extremely passionate performance. Il Volo brings such emotion and a cinematic quality. It feels intimate yet epic.”

In addition to raising money and awareness for Olivia’s cause, Brickman hopes “My Dream” is a salve for fans who miss her dearly. “Like many of us, when I hear one of her songs on the radio,” he says, “it makes me smile and remind me how loved she is and always will be.”

“My Dream” will be released on streaming platforms on September 20

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education