ALBUM FEATURES COVERS OF ‘90s HITS PERFORMED BY
THE SHOW’S CAST FOR THE FINAL SEASON MUSICAL EVENT
OUT WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 FROM MILAN RECORDS
ORIGINAL VOCAL TRACK WRITTEN BY KRIS BOWERS & SIEDAH GARRETT
PERFORMED BY THE CAST OF DEAR WHITE PEOPLE
LISTEN TO “TOGETHER ALL THE WAY” HERE
Milan Records today announces the September 22 release of DEAR WHITE PEOPLE VOL. 4 (MUSIC FROM THE NETFLIX AND LIONSGATE SERIES), featuring music produced by Emmy® Award-winning composer and pianist KRIS BOWERS. Available to preorder now, the album features covers of ‘90s R&B and hip hop classics, newly produced by Bowers and performed by the show’s cast for the series’ musical final season. Included within the 14-track collection are covers of hit singles by Salt-N-Pepa, TLC, NSYNC, Jamiroquai, Montell Jordan and more.
Of the soundtrack, producer KRIS BOWERS says, “When Justin Simien first told me about the musical theme for the last season of Dear White People, I was immediately excited. Not only because of the nostalgia I have for this era of music and how much I enjoyed the process of recreating it; but having gotten to know some of the cast over the years, I knew we’d have strong vocalists and performers to make this all come alive. I’m so thankful to Justin and the entire cast for being remarkable and trusting collaborators.”
In addition to the newly arranged covers, Bowers contributes an original vocal track to the album, cowritten with GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett, which he performs alongside the show’s cast entitled “Together All The Way.” The single debuts today as part of the album preorder – listen here.
Of “Together All The Way,” KRIS BOWERS continues, “I’ve been a fan of Siedah Garrett for such a long time that it was a huge honor to write something with her. It made complete sense to have her be a part of this season given how big of a role she played in the sound we were going for, and what she did with ‘Together All the Way’ brought our series to a close in a beautiful and emotional way.”
Dear White People Vol. 4 premieres on Netflix Wednesday, September 22.
ABOUT DEAR WHITE PEOPLE VOL. 4
Set against the backdrop of both the senior year at Winchester and a not-so-distant, post-pandemic future, Dear White People Vol. 4 finds our characters looking back at the most formative (and theatrical) year of their lives and examining the ways it shaped their futures. An Afro-futurist, 90s-inspired musical event, Dear White People Vol. 4 is a can’t-miss, farewell experience with one pitch-perfect promise: sometimes the only way to move forward is to throw it back.
ABOUT KRIS BOWERS
Kris Bowers is an Emmy® Award-winning composer and pianist who creates genre-defying music that pays homage to his jazz roots with inflections of alternative and R&B influences. From scoring documentaries like Kobe Bryant’s Muse and Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, to scripted series including Shonda Rhimes and Paul William Davies’ For The People, Netflix’s Dear White People, and SHOWTIME’S Black Monday, Bowers’ work as a film and television composer is a testament to his versatility as an artist. In 2018, Bowers had the honor of collaborating with Emmy and Academy Award®-winning director Peter Farrelly and Academy Award®-winning actor Mahershala Ali on their critically acclaimed Green Book, not only scoring the film but also serving as Ali’s on-screen hand-double and piano coach. In early 2018, Bowers scored the critically acclaimed drama, Monsters and Men, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
His work also appears in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix mini-series, When They See Us about the Central Park Five, for which he received a Primetime Emmy® nomination. In 2020, Bowers received another Primetime Emmy® nomination for his work on the FX miniseries Mrs America. Recent releases for Bowers include the film The United States Vs Billie Holiday, starring Andra Day, directed by Lee Daniels, Bad Hair, written and directed by Justin Simien (Dear White People), and the Shondaland series Bridgerton for Netflix, for which he has received a further two Primetime Emmy® nominations, for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series and for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme.
At the 93ed Academy Awards®, Bowers was nominated for his documentary short, ‘A Concerto is A Conversation’, which he produced, co-directed and scored. Executive produced by Ava DuVernay, the documentary premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
Most recently, Bowers has scored the biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin, and the comedy sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy directed by Malcolm D. Lee. Upcoming for Bowers includes Season 2 of Bridgerton, and the Warner Bros biopic King Richard, starring Will Smith as the father of Venus and Serena Williams.
Bowers has recorded and performed with artists such as Q-Tip, Aretha Franklin, Ludacris, Christian Rich, Jay-Z, and Kanye West and has contributed to albums by Marcus Miller, José James, Moses Sumney, and Murs. Bowers is an official Steinway Artist and was named one of twelve ‘Artists to Watch’ by iTunes in 2014. In 2020, he was honored with the ‘Distinguished Film Composer Award’ by the Middleburg Film Festival. In 2019, he received the prestigious ‘ROBIE Pioneer Award’ from the Jackie Robinson Foundation in 2019. Bowers currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife.
TRACKLIST
1. Together All the Way – Kris Bowers & The Cast of Dear White People
2. Round and Round (Tevin Campbell cover) – Marque Richardson, Logan Browning, John Patrick Amedori & Joi Liayé with Kris Bowers
3. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers cover) – John Patrick Amedori & Logan Browning with Kris Bowers
4. Gotta Be (Des’ree cover) – The Cast of Dear White People
5. Gettin’ It (Too $hort cover)– Brandon Bell & Ashley Blaine Featherson
6. None of Your Business (Salt-N-Pepa cover) – Antoinette Robertson & Bola Koleosho with Kris Bowers
7. Bye Bye Bye (NSYNC cover) – John Patrick Amedori & Logan Browning with Kris Bowers
8. Virtual Insanity (Jamiroquai cover) – Marque Richardson & Joi Liayé with Kris Bowers
9. Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) (Mint Condition cover) – DeRon Horton & Wade Wilson with Kris Bowers
10. Shackles (Mary Mary cover) – Ashley Blaine Featherson with Kris Bowers
11. This Is How We Do It (Montell Jordan cover) – Logan Browning, Quei Tann, Sarah Cortez, Brandon P. Bell & Courtney Sauls with Kris Bowers
12. She’s a Bitch (Missy Elliott cover) – Joi Liayé with Kris Bowers
13. What About Your Friends (TLC cover) – Ashley Blaine Featherson, Jemar Michael, Brandon Black & Quei Tann
14. Right Here (SWV cover) – Ashley Blaine Featherson, Jemar Michael, Brandon Black & Quei Tann
