JULY 11, 2023 (ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN) – Just before the fall of Kabul, the MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS / GIRL WITH A GUITAR, led by founder LANNY CORDOLA, collaborated with singer and songwriter NICK CAVE on a new song called “BREATHLESS / BEAUTIFUL.” Based on a poem written by CAVE and posted on his popular fan forum, THE RED HAND FILES, CORDOLA was inspired to write music to the poem and record it with the MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS.

 

“It was in Kabul on September 10, 2019, that I read Issue #60 of THE RED HAND FILES, two days after my younger brother passed away,” CORDOLA recalls. “The words resonated deeply in my soul and it struck me how even in loss, grief and the harsh agonies of the world, we can create a sacred chamber in the heart to keep our loved ones. Then the music appeared and attached itself to the words in a kind of holy embrace.

 

“When I played it for the girls, they were deeply moved. It was as if the words and melody expressed the heavy longing in their souls. Upon singing the end refrain, they were transported to a moment beyond the horror and the sleeping dream where the world and she are BREATHLESS / BEAUTIFUL.”

 

It was through a friend of NICK CAVE’s, journalist LARRY “RATSO” SLOMAN, that the singer became aware of the song.

“The song had been sent to RATSO by LANNY CORDOLA, and I was so moved by what LANNY had done that I wrote to him to say how beautiful I thought it was,” NICK CAVE said in a statement. “There began an email exchange with LANNY, and over the course of the next few weeks I learned about his music program in Kabul and how it came about — the story behind the MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS / GIRL WITH A GUITAR is a tragic one but also one of great hope.”

After hearing how CORDOLA set music to “BREATHLESS / BEAUTIFUL” and worked the song out with the girls, NICK expressed a desire to be more involved. “I offered to duet with LANNY, singing to the song’s wonderful guitar melody played so beautifully by the girls. I am honored that LANNY and the MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS / GIRL WITH A GUITAR have chosen to use my poem in this way. What they do speaks volumes as to what music can give, but also what can be taken away.”

 

Recorded remotely with NICK CAVE, bassist WILLIAM DAGSHER, and drummer KRIS MYERS (UMPHREY’S MCGEE), CORDOLA finished the tracks and shot the video with the MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS in Afghanistan before heading over to Islamabad, Pakistan, to finalize mixing and mastering.

 

On August 15, 2021, CORDOLA managed to catch the last commercial flight out of Kabul — without knowing what was in store as he had already booked the fare to Pakistan to renew his visa. Later that same day, the Taliban seized control of the country, ending all education and music-making pursuits for the MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS. In an instant, their world transformed from one filled with hope and dreams to one of precarious, extreme danger.

 

CORDOLA immediately went right to work, relentlessly chasing every possibility he could to get his students and their families out of Afghanistan. After nine months of dealing with rescue agencies, special operation teams, self-styled mercenaries, layers of bureaucracy and tons of red tape, he was able to provide safe passage for the girls and their families out of Afghanistan and into Pakistan. It was a perilous journey from Kabul to Islamabad.

 

Like its neighbor, Pakistan is in the grips of social unrest, political upheaval, and economic instability. There’s also widespread discrimination against Afghan refugees, including those who have been arbitrarily arrested, detained and deported. While they’ve been able to resume their musical endeavors to a certain extent and avoid the rule of the Taliban, THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS are still refugees who need a place to settle down and call home.

 

“From war-torn, poverty-stricken to refugees in a country on the brink of collapse and civil war. A nuclear-armed country, no less,” CORDOLA says. “I felt releasing this exquisite soul hymn would allow us to be in contact with the immaculate songline that has bonded us so profoundly these past several years. The purity of their voices brings me to that sacred place and time as they began their journey into song and sound.”

“BREATHLESS / BEAUTIFUL”

Written by NICK CAVE and LANNY CORDOLA

Produced by LANNY CORDOLA and SARMAD GHAFOOR

Mixed by SARMAD GHAFOOR

Video filmed in Kabul, Afghanistan and London, England

Video directed and edited by HANS FJELLESTAD

 

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ABOUT THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS

 

THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS have captured the world’s attention through their musical collaborations with such luminaries as BRIAN WILSON, SAMMY HAGAR, TOM MORELLO (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE), RAMI JAFFEE (FOO FIGHTERS), KATHY VALENTINE (THE GO-GO’S), VICKI PETERSON (THE BANGLES), CHERIE CURRIE (THE RUNAWAYS), WAYNE KRAMER (MC5), KRIS MYERS (UMPHREY’S MCGEE), and many others.

The group has also garnered a respectable amount of press coverage by such high-profile outlets as the BBC, ROLLING STONE, TMZ, CBS, and SPIN. ABC’s ‘GOOD MORNING AMERICA 3’ did an in-depth exposé on THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS, which featured actor, musician, and supporter KIEFER SUTHERLAND praising the group’s efforts. “It’s just amazing to see these young children who have been through poverty and war and families being torn apart — that they can find joy and a desire to learn, and positive aspects of their lives through an incredibly difficult time. It’s moving and it’s inspiring.”

 

LANNY CORDOLA began his journey through Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2010, collaborating with musicians on a peace-through-music project. “After visiting and meeting many kids who were living in poverty-stricken areas and conflict zones, I decided to raise funds on their behalf,” the musician recalls.

 

Since then, he has focused on musical projects aimed at raising awareness, resources and funds for some of the most vulnerable children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the wake of his work in these regions, he formed his own non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization called THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS, based on the premise that “it shouldn’t hurt to be a child” and “that a kid with a melody in their heart has hope, and with hope all things are possible.”

 

On September 8, 2012, sisters PARWANA and KORSHID were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan. The intended target was U.S. military forces. According to the troops who were there, the sisters sacrificed their own lives to save them.

 

During a visit to the region in 2014, CORDOLA met with the sisters’ family, including their younger sibling MURSAL, who had survived the attack. The family was living in absolute squalor, but when MURSAL saw the guitar that constantly accompanies LANNY, she brightened up and asked if he would teach her to play so she could honor her sisters and other girls living in similar conditions. And with that, THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS / GIRL WITH A GUITAR was born.

 

In February 2016, LANNY CORDOLA moved to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he taught guitar, English, and other life skills to hundreds of mostly girls at THE MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS Studio until August 15, 2021.

 

To learn more, please go to the following links:

 

MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS WEBSITE > miraculouslovekids.org/

MIRACULOUS LOVE KIDS FACEBOOK > facebook.com/Themiraculouslovekids

LANNY CORDOLA FACEBOOK > facebook.com/lanny.cordola