Press Representative (Music)
Chasen and Company
Jeff Sanderson
jeff[at]chasenpr.com

VERSED: The ASCAP Podcast / Ep. 20 - Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty

We talk with Tony Award winners and Oscar and Grammy nominees Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, best known for their Broadway hits, Ragtime and Once on This Island, about their new song “How Can I Tell You?” from the powerful new documentary, NASRIN, performed by Angélique Kidjo. They also dig deep into their storied career collaborating on projects for the stage and screen and all the magic moments they've shared along the way. Listen Here

Early Oscar Predictions: Best Song and Score Contenders

“How Can I Tell You”
Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty
Nasrin (Virgil Films/Kino Marquee)

Ahrens and Flaherty received two Oscar nods — best original song and best musical or comedy score — for the 1997 film Anastasia. They won a Tony for best original score for Ragtime (1998) and have received three Grammy nominations for best musical theater album.
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SONGWRITER PROFILE: LYNN AHRENS & STEPHEN FLAHERTY

Respected musical theater duo, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s latest composition, “How Do I Tell You?,” was written for Nasrin, a documentary film about Iranian human rights activist, Nasrin Sotoudeh. Delivering a poignant and timely message of hope and humanity, the original song is performed by four-time Grammy-winner, Angelique Kidjo, and was inspired by letters from Sotoudeh to her children while behind prison walls, in her effort to explain her absence.

Shares Ahrens, “She's not just an activist, not just a woman who's going to fall on her sword for her ideals. She's a mother, and the pull of that was so moving.” Added Flaherty, “We were both very, very moved from that first rough cut. It’s the kind of project that you just can’t say no to because her life and her activism are so powerful and so moving and so needed.” Continue Here

Angélique Kidjo Enters Oscars Song Race With ‘How Can I Tell You?’ From ‘Nasrin’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo has released the music video for “How Can I Tell You?” from the new documentary “Nasrin.” The song is written by Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). The film chronicles the life of activist Nasrin Sotoudeh, who fought for women’s rights in Iran, as well as the rights of children and journalists, and was arrested in June 2018. She’s serving a sentence of 38 years in prison.

Said Kidjo who featured on the BBC’s list of the 100 most inspiring and influential women: “I am so glad to be part of this beautiful project. I want Nasrin to be free because if she’s not free, none of us are free. She’s fighting for human rights, the right to decide what we want to do with our lives, the right to choose our own future. I think each one of us around the world — it doesn’t matter where you live — you should be sensitive to the fight of Nasrin. We all have to come together and continue putting pressure on the Iranian government to free her. She needs us now to rally around her, to carry the message of freedom of speech, freedom for all, to be at the center of our concerns day in and day out. That’s why I am standing side by side with Nasrin. Continue Here

Songwriting Team of Ahrens, Flaherty Underscore Emotional Pull of ‘Nasrin’

The harrowing and powerful documentary Nasrin tells the story of Nasrin Sotoudeh, an Iranian human rights lawyer. She served as a driving force behind the country’s women’s rights movement in addition to representing political activists and women arrested in Iran for not wearing a hijab. Now, she, herself, is a political prisoner, serving a total of 38 years over multiple sentences in addition to 148 lashes.

While Nasrin gives an immersive and detailed look at Sotoudeh’s life, the filmmaking team of Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross felt the material provided the opportunity to share her message through song. They immediately approached the Tony-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime) whose songs and score for Anastasia received Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe nominations. Ahrens and Flaherty appeal to political material made them the perfect team to deliver the work. Continue Here

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (‘Nasrin’) on telling ‘a personal story’ with their original song ‘How Can I Tell You?’

“Her story is so compelling… there’s no way that you couldn’t do it,” says composer Stephen Flaherty of crafting a song for the documentary “Nasrin,” about Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Filmmaker Jeff Kaufman showed Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens a rough cut of his film, and the Tony winning songwriting team was so moved they didn’t even need to discuss whether they would write a tune or not. “The movie is so emotional,” recounts Ahrens, “it just seemed to call for something that was human and intimate, yet stirring.” The pair quickly came up with a song that lives up to those requirements: “How Can I Tell You?”

The lyrics appear to conjure Sotoudeh herself, referencing the activist lawyer’s time in jail. That’s no accident. “As theatre writers, we tend to channel characters… you try to become the character you’re writing,” explains Ahrens. The pair have a Tony Award for “Ragtime” and two Oscar nominations for “Anastasia,” so it comes as no surprise they bring the same level of musical storytelling to “How Can I Tell You?” Continue Here

Check Out the New Song 'How Can I Tell You?' by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

Check out Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo performing the new original song "How Can I Tell You?" with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty in the video above. The track comes from the documentary Nasrin, which follows Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights activists and political prisoner who has turned into a leading figure of Iran’s women’s rights movement.

"We saw an early rough cut of the film and read some of Nasrin's letters, written from prison to her children," said the songwriting duo. "We were deeply moved by Nasrin's courageous life story and her love for her family. This immediately inspired our song...[which] takes on the power of women around the world who witness and experience injustice and demand to be heard."
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VIDEO: Angélique Kidjo Sings 'How Can I Tell You?' by Ahrens and Flaherty

You can now listen to Angélique Kidjo perform the song "How Can I Tell You?" featuring lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. The song was written for the documentary "Nasrin".

"Nasrin Sotoudeh never stood down from a tough battle as a human rights attorney in Iran. Fans of filmmaker Jafar Panahi will remember her appearance in his subversive film Taxi. Now she's serving a prison sentence of 38 years for representing women who protested the country's mandatory hijab law. This immersive portrait weaves extensive filming with Sotoudeh along with interviews with Panahi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and journalist Ann Curry. Even while she's behind bars, Nasrin won't let her voice be silenced." Continue Here

Watch Angélique Kidjo’s Powerful Visual For ‘How Can I Tell You?’

Angélique Kidjo released a moving visual for “How Can I Tell You?,” an original song written for the forthcoming documentary Nasrin, which chronicles the life and work of Iranian activist, human rights lawyer, and political prisoner, Nasrin Sotoudeh. Premiering January 26, the inspiring feature was secretly filmed over four years.

“How Can I Tell You?” was written by the Tony Award-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Anastasia, Ragtime). According to the film’s website, the lyrics were based on Nasrin’s letters to her children from prison. The accompanying visual intercuts Kijdo’s emotional performance, alongside footage from the documentary. Continue Here