Starting off 2011 with a positive outlook and just plain feel-goodness, fifteen soulful Asian American artists, plus Macy Gray herself, came together to sing Gray’s song "Beauty in the World" in a collaborative video project that was six months in the making. The collaboration began as a day of community service as some of the artists came together to spend a day with the elderly at the Goldstar Rehabilitation Center in Santa Monica.

Ten of the artists were in Santa Monica that day, spending time talking, singing songs and serving the elderly patients. Then soul/R&B singer Dawen brought in other amazing singers from across the country, including Tommy C in Chicago and Michelle Rodriguez in San Francisco. Others decided to join through video chat. Violins, guitars, and even a xylophone were also thrown into the mix.

The artists included Dawen, Megan Lee, Clara C, Sam Geunjin Kang, Paul Dateh, Connie Lim, Seriously (Chris Pham and Nathan Park), Jane Lui, Michelle Marinez, DanakaDan (afterschoolspecial), Tommy C, Mista Cookie Jar, Alfa,  9-year-old Ava Flava plus Macy Gray. And in a time when it’s pretty easy to be cynical about the state of the world and the people in it, there is some comfort in the lyrics: 

There is beauty in the world. So much beauty in the world. Always beauty in the world.

Shake your booty boys and girls, for the beauty in the world.

There’s hope. There’s hope and love. There is beauty in the world.

And you can see in the video that the folks at the rehabilitation center enjoyed it too.

Here is the original version.