ANOHNI shares cover of Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive"

02 November 2020, 10:52 | Written by Cerys Kenneally

(News)

(ANOHNI)

ANOHNI has shared a cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", as well as revealing that Facebook offered her $200,000 to use the song for an advert campaign which she turned down.

The slowed down cover of "I Will Survive" is accompanied by footage of ANOHNI and Chloe Dzubilo performing in the '90s, and arrived with a story about how Facebook tried to offer ANOHNI money to use the song in an advertising campaign.

ANOHNI wrote, "In June, Facebook offered me 200,000$ to license an old live version (2001) of me singing "I Will Survive" for an advertisement that represented Facebook as an advocate for small businesses. Although I really could have used the money, I said no because I didn't want to be complicit in Facebook’s hosting of fake news which might enable the re-election of Donald Trump."

"They wrote back saying that they were placating other participants' concerns by making donations to their charities of choice, in addition to paying them," ANOHNI continued. "I woke up the next morning and realised this isn't even advertising; this is politics, and i don't even know how deep this water is. This company Droga5 worked with Obama and Google and others. I had to walk away."

She added, "A month later I saw the ad. Facebook had hired another singer to emulate my version of the song. It was a nauseating feeling."

The British-born artist also wrote, "After the Facebook debacle, I felt compelled to complete my studio version of "I Will Survive". It was the first song I ever sang in nightclubs in NYC when I was 20 years old. I sang it hundreds of times. In those days I sang it thinking of Marsha P. Johnson and the underground queer community struggling to survive in the face of AIDS. Now it seems to me like an anthem for the future of life on earth."