December 1, 2023 • 21 mins
Welcome to the 4th Annual Snixxmas Charity Fundraiser, honoring Naya Rivera and benefiting Alexandria House.
For this year's Snixxmas, a previously unreleased song recorded by Naya in 2012 called "Prayer For The Broken" is making its debut and features new background vocals by Glee cast members.
Kevin and Jenna, joined by their friend Telly Kousakis talk about how this year's project came together, and Kevin reveals the story of the first time Naya played the song for him in 2012.
"Prayer For The Broken" is available now on all platforms, with proceeds benefiting Alexandria House, so please download, stream, and buy the song!
To donate directly to this year's annual Snixxmas and for more information on Alexandria House, visit AlexandriaHouse.org/Snixxmas2023.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
And That's what you Really Missed with Jenna.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
And Kevin an iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Podcast Welcomed You and That's what You Really Missed podcast
Gleaking News. This is the snicks Miss edition of fourth
annual Welcome Kevin.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Welcome Jenna, and welcome to our very very special guest
and fellow Team snicks Miss member Telly Kusaka's team man Google.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Hello, Hello, Hello, so happy to be here, so happy
to have you, and wouldn't be snicks Miss without you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, So this year is our fourth annual snicks Miss.
If this is your first time hearing about snicks Miss.
After our wonderful friend Nya passed away in twenty twenty,
we all got together as a group and wanted to
do something hopeful, something positive, something in honor of Nya's
(00:56):
memory and how wonderful she was. And so what we
did was form Snicksmiths, which was named after a Christmas party,
annual Christmas party she used to throw for all the
Glee cast and crew. They were the wildest, craziest, most
fun party stories that we will we cannot share right
(01:17):
right publicly.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
We hide those secrets in our hair, Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
But Naya was a big supporter of a local charity
here in La called Alexandria House, which supports women and
children in need of transitional housing. And luckily they've been
so gracious to us every single year, along with Nya's
mother and sister, and we've been able to so far
raise just short of a quarter of a million dollars
(01:45):
for Alexandria House thanks to the incredible support from literally
all around the world, every corner, yes, and it has been. Honestly,
it's a very overwhelming thing, and I think for us
it's also a very cathartic thing to be able to
come together with all of our glee team. It's not
just three of us. We sort of send out the
(02:05):
bat signal and everybody responds and helps if they're able to.
That year, and the support within our own family and
support publicly has just been tremendous, and it feels like
such a gift to be able to share in something
so positive out of, you know, such an unfortunate and
horrible circumstance.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
So this year is very special because out Now is
an unreleased song that Naya from some of her solo
music recorded back in twenty twelve, and at the wonderful
gracious approval of writers of this song and of Yolanda,
(02:53):
Naya's mother. We are releasing this for you all to
hear the incredible vocal and the amazing talents of Nya
in her prime, which she was always in a prime,
so no question about that.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
But we just wanted to.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Keep this really centered around Naya A, really rest centered
around her name and her honor. So go listen to
the song. Well leave in all the notes where you
can donate if you feel that the Snicksmas spirit moves
you after listening to this song, or you can go
buy this song and all the proceeds will also go
to Alexandria House.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Telly, well we have you.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I am curious of your reflections on the past four
years and the evolution of Snick's miss.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yeah, it's been it's been interesting how much has happened
in such a short time. You know, as Kevin said,
when when it was twenty twenty, we were all kind
of a grieving and stuck in our homes and it
sort of was something we wanted to do to bring
us closer to each other, and in a way it
(04:02):
brought the whole world a little bit closer, you know,
through this tragic happening with Naya and so and since then,
it's it's a it's been a bit challenging to you know,
like come up with what we're going to do or
what the angle is. But really it's sort of this
year especially, it seems like it's evolved into kind of
(04:24):
like a reunion of sorts, or like at least this
and not just with us and the people we know
or the people that do Naya, but it's sort of
this like global thing that everyone's looking forward to and
a reason to kind of just touch base.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
And it's it's a.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Time for us to get to touch base with each other.
It's a time for us to reconnect with Alexandria House,
who we're raising the money for. It's a time for
us to check in with Nya's family, It's time for
us to check in with the fans, check in with
each other. So it's it's sort of become this rather
than it just being this one thing that we're doing
to raise money, it's really kind of become like homecoming
(05:01):
of sorts in this way for us all to connect
to honor Naya's memory and this year in such a
special way to like not just honor, but to continue
her legacy as a recording artist, which I think is
this year such a particularly like poignant and special gift
for everyone. You know, the song Prayer for the Broken
(05:24):
is the lyrics are like scarily apt, they're very like
it seems like a message for today, and.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
What's really crazy is that.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
It's you know, well we it's an honor to have
been able to like facilitate this, but also as a
listener and as a fan of Naya's, it's like this
totally like bizarrow world like present from the future past,
where you know, we're getting this like message from above,
and it's just another reminder to like that a big
(06:00):
important part of this is coming together with each other,
supporting the people you love, supporting the organizations that you're
able to support or that mean something to you. It's
a great yearly reminder that this time of year especially
should be it as much about giving as it is
about receiving.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
It is such a wonderful way for us to sort
of like check in with those different communities that were
part of I think one of my favorite parts of
this time and doing Snack's miss is when Nya passed,
there was such overwhelming messages of love and adoration for
her talents and how much she touched people from around
the world, and being able to see that on social
(06:40):
media was it was strange but also really helpful because like, oh,
she We've got that because we knew her personally, and
it was wonderful to be able to see that people
who didn't personally know who are still got the correct
perception of her because she was so powerful. I think
it that way, And it is nice now every year
(07:04):
during this to like check in sort of on social
media and see people have made friends through Snicksmiths and
I you know, we posted a preview of it the
other day and some people in the commage like, what's
Snicksmiths and you have people think this is what snicks
miss is and it's so heartening to see that and
people coming together for this. And I think for us,
(07:25):
we really wanted to be really focused this year, like
Jenna said, keeping it about Naya and keeping it about
Alexandria House and sort of nothing else. And last year
we tried, you know, an in person event. It was big.
It was a great time, but it was a lot
of work and ultimately what we want to do is
just create so much as much support as possible for
(07:48):
Alexandria House. And we think this year with the song
and being able to go to Alexandria House dot Org
slash Snicks Miss twenty twenty three, that's Snicks Miss the
two exes by the way.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It's simple, it's clean, and being able to hear Nya's
voice in this way is also what made this whole
thing happen in the first place. Because a little backstory
on it. I had this demo from Naya from twenty
twelve because we'd always share our music with each other,
(08:21):
and I remember when she played it for me and
her rain drove her behind all about the bread off
of Melrose, probably on a lunch break or something, and
she's like, you got to listen to this and beastly
her rendering it might've been beastly does I don't know.
I'm not sure which one it was, and like, oh
(08:43):
my god, Like obviously Naya could sing the amount of
solos on Glee that she had, and not even just solos,
but you know, her voice could do anything. It could
touch you emotionally, it could make you want to dance,
it could do all things. And this was another one
of those layers of like, oh, wow, here you are
outside of Glee, like doing this thing and the life
(09:05):
happens where we all recorded music. None of it came
out whatever, but I've always listened to the song, and
over the years, she and I would always be like,
why haven't you put out this song? Why can we
put out that song? And when she passed, it was
this song was such a source of when I could
eventually listen to it, it took a minute, but it
provided me such a source of comfort and just be like, oh,
(09:29):
thank god I have this, Like thank god we have
all these episodes and Glee songs of hers and all
the other works she's done outside of Glee, to just
see her talent, to see her face and beauty and
wit and charm all of it, and this like everything
we have from Nya is finite. Now every demo we
have like we're not getting new music. And it felt
(09:50):
like ever since then, we all talked about it, like
in the back of our heads, like how do we
get this song to people? Because if it means so
much to us, there's no way that it's not going
to mean a lot to other people, And especially like
you said, Telly so beautifully about what the song's messages.
It adds a whole other complex layer of emotion. And
(10:15):
we somehow, I don't know, the universe worked together. No,
and it took Matt Hodson here's one of the writers
on Glee, Like we all randomly came together, the writer
and producer Isaac Hassen with the other writer, Lindy Robinson.
They were also trying to find a way to get
the song over the years, but we did not know
each other. And this literally was the only Nia's song
(10:39):
that I had that I did not know who the
writers and producers of the song. Like if it was
one of the other songs, I could have found that
stuff in a day, found those people. This took so
long to figure out out, like how do we do this?
And then it's like is this okay? Is Nia's family
going to be okay with this? And so you know,
we talked to Yolanda, and Yolanda was just like so
(11:03):
gracious as always about it, and I was like, look, Amber,
we're just gonna make Ambra Riiley like yeah, we're not
going to like touch a lead vocal. We just want
to fill out this track because it's from twenty twelve,
so it was, you know, a little dated, it was
a little different. Isaac had a whole different version of
the track, and it was one of those things that
(11:27):
came together literally at the last minute we had.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Once again, it's like bringing We had like a deadline,
it was hours. But once again, it's like Kelly said,
it's bringing people together. It's a community that cares about Maya,
cares about Glee, cares you know, things that have impacted them,
you know people who have impacted them. You know.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Even when Isaac came in to help produce.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
The additional vocals that were put on it, and we
got to finally meet him in person, he's so gracious
and Lindy Cheer just there, how passionate they were about,
you know, having the world hear this piece, this piece
of art. And Isaac, I'm sure he's okay with me
(12:12):
telling this, Like he told me that when Iya was
recording it, she loved this song.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
She really wanted to do it.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
She recorded it, and then she texted him that night
after she finished recording and she said, I think I
can tap those choruses and He's like, come back in.
So she came back in and he's like she did,
so they all really cared.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It was a lot of like tender, loving care that
went into the song initially, a lot of care that
went in you know, for Snick's mess This is all
A got, Nya. This is all that just felt right
to share this with the world and not you know,
keep this song because it is truly powerful and we
(12:58):
really hope you guys enjoy it, and we really hope
you guys feel the message that she was conveying, feel
the message that Alexandria House is conveying with their work
and the incredible things they're doing. We hope you you know,
we're just so grateful. Every year I get messages, you know,
the months before saying I hope there's a Snicks miss
(13:19):
this year. It's so something we really look forward to,
and to hear that, it's like, well, we got to
do it again.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
It's not like it's it takes a lot of you know,
thought and care because this is such a careful circumstance.
Especially Kevin and I've talked about this, like, you know,
when we do check in with these communities, checking with
Nya's family is it's hard because We don't know what
place they're in, We don't know where the grief is
hitting them at this time, and so it's a very
(13:48):
careful thing to see if they you know, obviously have
to include them, but also one of you are respectful
of their space and how where they're at in their lives,
but we are.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
We are so.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Grateful to them, and to Alexandria House, to you guys, Naia,
and to all of our you know, snicksmiths vocals and
everybody who pushes it out, and then especially all of
you guys who support it and listen to it and
write in and donate, like this is what it's all about.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
So for the song itself, we had obviously Eu, Jenna,
Me and Amber and Heather and Vanessa Lenji's and Ashley
Fink and Amber Riley singing on some of these background
vocals for anyone who you may not see. The Gleek
cast members are not on it. We had an afternoon
to knock this out hours and so it was like
(14:50):
who's in town, Yes, who's available to do this? And
so while everybody was game and wanted to do it,
not everybody could, you know, be there at that time.
And so It's one of those things where it's so
nice that we have such a big sort of Gleef.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Has a collective however you can.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Right, yeah, and then everybody supports it.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yeah, we put out the call and you know, anywhere
from fifteen people can respond, you know, with ready to help.
I would just like to say, I know Kevin won't
accept this and he'll shirk this away, but this year
Kevin really was He was like a key player in
getting this song out. So I want to say thank
(15:31):
you to Kevin, because this is something we've been kicking
around a lot, but you really put in the hard
work for it. And I'd also like to say I
think just what's really special about this as well, is
like this song will forever be out there now. It
will be something that people can enjoy year after year
and that will continue to you know, make money for
(15:51):
Alexandria House, that will continue to on a nice legacy.
So it's cool that, you know, this year, it's not
just we're putting on a show and that's the thing
we're doing.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
It's like we've created.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Something now that can that can be I live on
for a free snick list to.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Come and I think it's also important to if you're
listening and you have donated or you're thinking about donating
to Alexandria House. The first year we did this, I
think the average donation was somewhere between five and ten dollars,
Is that right? And we ended up raising almost one
hundred and twenty thousand dollars the first year. And because
it was from all over the world, I think it's
(16:30):
so important to remember where people were like, is it
okay to donate five dollars? Is it ok I don't
have a lot to give where all of that adds up,
just the fact that they're even considering it. If you can't donate,
maybe spread it the message to your family or friends
and maybe somebody will. Whether it's one dollar, two dollars,
five dollars, all of that adds up. And last year,
(16:50):
Alexandria House around this time was looking to buy an
apartment building right behind the actual Alexandria House, and thanks
in part to Snicker's fundraiser and a lot of you know,
fundraising they do throughout the year, they were able to
actually buy that and that had thirty nine units in it,
which they've been remodeling ever since. And so that's thirty
(17:13):
nine new homes for thirty nine new families, which is
a gigantic thing. And so this year our intention is
to really help them pay off the loan that they
got for that apartment building so they can have it forever,
feel secure in that and be able to continuously work
with the women and children that they do every single
day they are. I mean, Telly, I think you can
(17:35):
speak to this too, because we got to go there
and meet people that live there and work there and all,
like the services that they provide for these women and
children is absolutely astounding.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Yeah, I think that's one of the coolest things that
we've learned about Alexandria House as we've as our relationship
when it has developed, is that they have just a
variety of services available and the you know, they're kind
of they're really working to give people like a whole
set people up for like their whole life. You know,
(18:07):
it's not just about giving them housing and food. It's
about educating them, it's about giving them job opportunities, it's
about childcare, it's about you know us. They're teaching people
how to start businesses and how to support themselves out
in the world. So it just it seems like every
year they're adding something new to their plate and sort
(18:30):
of diversifying the ways that they can help these people
in need in the LA area.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
And so.
Speaker 4 (18:37):
Yeah, I'm really happy that we also just can continue
to support this this organization.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
And it's also the support doesn't stop once they move
out of the house too, which I thought was almost
impressive aspect of it, where you're family for life, and
so they will help those that have been pass through
those halls for forever as long as as they needed. Yeah,
it's such a wonderful group of people.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
And you know, it's money is obviously very helpful for
organizations like this. If you're in the LA area and
donating money isn't really available to you right now, check
out alexandriahouse dot org find out there are other ways
to volunteer your time and your efforts in other ways.
(19:25):
So please, if you you know, if you can't make
a nominal donation, that's fine, but if you would like
to see how else you can help, check that out
because there are other opportunities and chances to help out
that aren't.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Just thank you for joining us, Kelly, about you, Kevin,
can you tell me.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yes, go download, stream and preferably by because that's more
money into Alexandria House's wallets near that Prepare for the
Broken by Nia Rivera. Any where you listen, download or
buy your music. It is available on every platform. Tell
your friends, tell your family, listen to it over these holidays,
listen to its playlist. That's right, get it streaming. Let's go,
(20:13):
and you can also go to Alexandria House dot org
slash Snicksmiss twenty twenty three that's Snicksmiths with two x's
to donate directly on their snicks Miss page for this
fundraiser for two weeks from December first to December fourteenth.
We have a goal of fifty thousand dollars. So you know,
as you have the song on in the background and
(20:34):
you feel moved, let's do what you can.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
On the bucket.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
You share on your social platforms. That's also huge, that
really helps. This thing is for you, guys, Buy you guys.
Word of mouth has made a huge difference in the
lives of these women and children that Alexandria House is
able to support through these donations. So we are thankful
for you, Thankful for Jenna and Tlly and every all
(21:00):
the Glee fam of Team Snicks, Misths who really came
through this year again for making this happen. I mean,
I can't even beget the people were donating their services.
Joe Bosi who mixed the record, he donated his services,
and Alex who schettle the content for it. Justineos. It's
a big team of friends and yes, absolutely, and so
(21:24):
people really at their best because they are you know,
they want to help and it's for a great cause.
And we love Naya, love you snakes, and we hope
you enjoy prayer for the broken and have a happy
and safe and Mary Snacksmiths Boodles, thanks for listening and
follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really
miss pod. Make sure to write us a review and
(21:46):
leave us five stars. See you next time.
And That's what you Really Missed with Jenna.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
And Kevin an iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Podcast Welcomed You and That's what You Really Missed podcast
Gleaking News. This is the snicks Miss edition of fourth
annual Welcome Kevin.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Welcome Jenna, and welcome to our very very special guest
and fellow Team snicks Miss member Telly Kusaka's team man Google.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Hello, Hello, Hello, so happy to be here, so happy
to have you, and wouldn't be snicks Miss without you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
No, So this year is our fourth annual snicks Miss.
If this is your first time hearing about snicks Miss.
After our wonderful friend Nya passed away in twenty twenty,
we all got together as a group and wanted to
do something hopeful, something positive, something in honor of Nya's
(00:56):
memory and how wonderful she was. And so what we
did was form Snicksmiths, which was named after a Christmas party,
annual Christmas party she used to throw for all the
Glee cast and crew. They were the wildest, craziest, most
fun party stories that we will we cannot share right
(01:17):
right publicly.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
We hide those secrets in our hair, Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
But Naya was a big supporter of a local charity
here in La called Alexandria House, which supports women and
children in need of transitional housing. And luckily they've been
so gracious to us every single year, along with Nya's
mother and sister, and we've been able to so far
raise just short of a quarter of a million dollars
(01:45):
for Alexandria House thanks to the incredible support from literally
all around the world, every corner, yes, and it has been. Honestly,
it's a very overwhelming thing, and I think for us
it's also a very cathartic thing to be able to
come together with all of our glee team. It's not
just three of us. We sort of send out the
(02:05):
bat signal and everybody responds and helps if they're able to.
That year, and the support within our own family and
support publicly has just been tremendous, and it feels like
such a gift to be able to share in something
so positive out of, you know, such an unfortunate and
horrible circumstance.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
So this year is very special because out Now is
an unreleased song that Naya from some of her solo
music recorded back in twenty twelve, and at the wonderful
gracious approval of writers of this song and of Yolanda,
(02:53):
Naya's mother. We are releasing this for you all to
hear the incredible vocal and the amazing talents of Nya
in her prime, which she was always in a prime,
so no question about that.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
But we just wanted to.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Keep this really centered around Naya A, really rest centered
around her name and her honor. So go listen to
the song. Well leave in all the notes where you
can donate if you feel that the Snicksmas spirit moves
you after listening to this song, or you can go
buy this song and all the proceeds will also go
to Alexandria House.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Telly, well we have you.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I am curious of your reflections on the past four
years and the evolution of Snick's miss.
Speaker 4 (03:41):
Yeah, it's been it's been interesting how much has happened
in such a short time. You know, as Kevin said,
when when it was twenty twenty, we were all kind
of a grieving and stuck in our homes and it
sort of was something we wanted to do to bring
us closer to each other, and in a way it
(04:02):
brought the whole world a little bit closer, you know,
through this tragic happening with Naya and so and since then,
it's it's a it's been a bit challenging to you know,
like come up with what we're going to do or
what the angle is. But really it's sort of this
year especially, it seems like it's evolved into kind of
(04:24):
like a reunion of sorts, or like at least this
and not just with us and the people we know
or the people that do Naya, but it's sort of
this like global thing that everyone's looking forward to and
a reason to kind of just touch base.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
And it's it's a.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Time for us to get to touch base with each other.
It's a time for us to reconnect with Alexandria House,
who we're raising the money for. It's a time for
us to check in with Nya's family, It's time for
us to check in with the fans, check in with
each other. So it's it's sort of become this rather
than it just being this one thing that we're doing
to raise money, it's really kind of become like homecoming
(05:01):
of sorts in this way for us all to connect
to honor Naya's memory and this year in such a
special way to like not just honor, but to continue
her legacy as a recording artist, which I think is
this year such a particularly like poignant and special gift
for everyone. You know, the song Prayer for the Broken
(05:24):
is the lyrics are like scarily apt, they're very like
it seems like a message for today, and.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
What's really crazy is that.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
It's you know, well we it's an honor to have
been able to like facilitate this, but also as a
listener and as a fan of Naya's, it's like this
totally like bizarrow world like present from the future past,
where you know, we're getting this like message from above,
and it's just another reminder to like that a big
(06:00):
important part of this is coming together with each other,
supporting the people you love, supporting the organizations that you're
able to support or that mean something to you. It's
a great yearly reminder that this time of year especially
should be it as much about giving as it is
about receiving.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
It is such a wonderful way for us to sort
of like check in with those different communities that were
part of I think one of my favorite parts of
this time and doing Snack's miss is when Nya passed,
there was such overwhelming messages of love and adoration for
her talents and how much she touched people from around
the world, and being able to see that on social
(06:40):
media was it was strange but also really helpful because like, oh,
she We've got that because we knew her personally, and
it was wonderful to be able to see that people
who didn't personally know who are still got the correct
perception of her because she was so powerful. I think
it that way, And it is nice now every year
(07:04):
during this to like check in sort of on social
media and see people have made friends through Snicksmiths and
I you know, we posted a preview of it the
other day and some people in the commage like, what's
Snicksmiths and you have people think this is what snicks
miss is and it's so heartening to see that and
people coming together for this. And I think for us,
(07:25):
we really wanted to be really focused this year, like
Jenna said, keeping it about Naya and keeping it about
Alexandria House and sort of nothing else. And last year
we tried, you know, an in person event. It was big.
It was a great time, but it was a lot
of work and ultimately what we want to do is
just create so much as much support as possible for
(07:48):
Alexandria House. And we think this year with the song
and being able to go to Alexandria House dot Org
slash Snicks Miss twenty twenty three, that's Snicks Miss the
two exes by the way.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
It's simple, it's clean, and being able to hear Nya's
voice in this way is also what made this whole
thing happen in the first place. Because a little backstory
on it. I had this demo from Naya from twenty
twelve because we'd always share our music with each other,
(08:21):
and I remember when she played it for me and
her rain drove her behind all about the bread off
of Melrose, probably on a lunch break or something, and
she's like, you got to listen to this and beastly
her rendering it might've been beastly does I don't know.
I'm not sure which one it was, and like, oh
(08:43):
my god, Like obviously Naya could sing the amount of
solos on Glee that she had, and not even just solos,
but you know, her voice could do anything. It could
touch you emotionally, it could make you want to dance,
it could do all things. And this was another one
of those layers of like, oh, wow, here you are
outside of Glee, like doing this thing and the life
(09:05):
happens where we all recorded music. None of it came
out whatever, but I've always listened to the song, and
over the years, she and I would always be like,
why haven't you put out this song? Why can we
put out that song? And when she passed, it was
this song was such a source of when I could
eventually listen to it, it took a minute, but it
provided me such a source of comfort and just be like, oh,
(09:29):
thank god I have this, Like thank god we have
all these episodes and Glee songs of hers and all
the other works she's done outside of Glee, to just
see her talent, to see her face and beauty and
wit and charm all of it, and this like everything
we have from Nya is finite. Now every demo we
have like we're not getting new music. And it felt
(09:50):
like ever since then, we all talked about it, like
in the back of our heads, like how do we
get this song to people? Because if it means so
much to us, there's no way that it's not going
to mean a lot to other people, And especially like
you said, Telly so beautifully about what the song's messages.
It adds a whole other complex layer of emotion. And
(10:15):
we somehow, I don't know, the universe worked together. No,
and it took Matt Hodson here's one of the writers
on Glee, Like we all randomly came together, the writer
and producer Isaac Hassen with the other writer, Lindy Robinson.
They were also trying to find a way to get
the song over the years, but we did not know
each other. And this literally was the only Nia's song
(10:39):
that I had that I did not know who the
writers and producers of the song. Like if it was
one of the other songs, I could have found that
stuff in a day, found those people. This took so
long to figure out out, like how do we do this?
And then it's like is this okay? Is Nia's family
going to be okay with this? And so you know,
we talked to Yolanda, and Yolanda was just like so
(11:03):
gracious as always about it, and I was like, look, Amber,
we're just gonna make Ambra Riiley like yeah, we're not
going to like touch a lead vocal. We just want
to fill out this track because it's from twenty twelve,
so it was, you know, a little dated, it was
a little different. Isaac had a whole different version of
the track, and it was one of those things that
(11:27):
came together literally at the last minute we had.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Once again, it's like bringing We had like a deadline,
it was hours. But once again, it's like Kelly said,
it's bringing people together. It's a community that cares about Maya,
cares about Glee, cares you know, things that have impacted them,
you know people who have impacted them. You know.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
Even when Isaac came in to help produce.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
The additional vocals that were put on it, and we
got to finally meet him in person, he's so gracious
and Lindy Cheer just there, how passionate they were about,
you know, having the world hear this piece, this piece
of art. And Isaac, I'm sure he's okay with me
(12:12):
telling this, Like he told me that when Iya was
recording it, she loved this song.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
She really wanted to do it.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
She recorded it, and then she texted him that night
after she finished recording and she said, I think I
can tap those choruses and He's like, come back in.
So she came back in and he's like she did,
so they all really cared.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You know.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It was a lot of like tender, loving care that
went into the song initially, a lot of care that
went in you know, for Snick's mess This is all
A got, Nya. This is all that just felt right
to share this with the world and not you know,
keep this song because it is truly powerful and we
(12:58):
really hope you guys enjoy it, and we really hope
you guys feel the message that she was conveying, feel
the message that Alexandria House is conveying with their work
and the incredible things they're doing. We hope you you know,
we're just so grateful. Every year I get messages, you know,
the months before saying I hope there's a Snicks miss
(13:19):
this year. It's so something we really look forward to,
and to hear that, it's like, well, we got to
do it again.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You know.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
It's not like it's it takes a lot of you know,
thought and care because this is such a careful circumstance.
Especially Kevin and I've talked about this, like, you know,
when we do check in with these communities, checking with
Nya's family is it's hard because We don't know what
place they're in, We don't know where the grief is
hitting them at this time, and so it's a very
(13:48):
careful thing to see if they you know, obviously have
to include them, but also one of you are respectful
of their space and how where they're at in their lives,
but we are.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
We are so.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Grateful to them, and to Alexandria House, to you guys, Naia,
and to all of our you know, snicksmiths vocals and
everybody who pushes it out, and then especially all of
you guys who support it and listen to it and
write in and donate, like this is what it's all about.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
So for the song itself, we had obviously Eu, Jenna,
Me and Amber and Heather and Vanessa Lenji's and Ashley
Fink and Amber Riley singing on some of these background
vocals for anyone who you may not see. The Gleek
cast members are not on it. We had an afternoon
to knock this out hours and so it was like
(14:50):
who's in town, Yes, who's available to do this? And
so while everybody was game and wanted to do it,
not everybody could, you know, be there at that time.
And so It's one of those things where it's so
nice that we have such a big sort of Gleef.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Has a collective however you can.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Right, yeah, and then everybody supports it.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yeah, we put out the call and you know, anywhere
from fifteen people can respond, you know, with ready to help.
I would just like to say, I know Kevin won't
accept this and he'll shirk this away, but this year
Kevin really was He was like a key player in
getting this song out. So I want to say thank
(15:31):
you to Kevin, because this is something we've been kicking
around a lot, but you really put in the hard
work for it. And I'd also like to say I
think just what's really special about this as well, is
like this song will forever be out there now. It
will be something that people can enjoy year after year
and that will continue to you know, make money for
(15:51):
Alexandria House, that will continue to on a nice legacy.
So it's cool that, you know, this year, it's not
just we're putting on a show and that's the thing
we're doing.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
It's like we've created.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Something now that can that can be I live on
for a free snick list to.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Come and I think it's also important to if you're
listening and you have donated or you're thinking about donating
to Alexandria House. The first year we did this, I
think the average donation was somewhere between five and ten dollars,
Is that right? And we ended up raising almost one
hundred and twenty thousand dollars the first year. And because
it was from all over the world, I think it's
(16:30):
so important to remember where people were like, is it
okay to donate five dollars? Is it ok I don't
have a lot to give where all of that adds up,
just the fact that they're even considering it. If you can't donate,
maybe spread it the message to your family or friends
and maybe somebody will. Whether it's one dollar, two dollars,
five dollars, all of that adds up. And last year,
(16:50):
Alexandria House around this time was looking to buy an
apartment building right behind the actual Alexandria House, and thanks
in part to Snicker's fundraiser and a lot of you know,
fundraising they do throughout the year, they were able to
actually buy that and that had thirty nine units in it,
which they've been remodeling ever since. And so that's thirty
(17:13):
nine new homes for thirty nine new families, which is
a gigantic thing. And so this year our intention is
to really help them pay off the loan that they
got for that apartment building so they can have it forever,
feel secure in that and be able to continuously work
with the women and children that they do every single
day they are. I mean, Telly, I think you can
(17:35):
speak to this too, because we got to go there
and meet people that live there and work there and all,
like the services that they provide for these women and
children is absolutely astounding.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Yeah, I think that's one of the coolest things that
we've learned about Alexandria House as we've as our relationship
when it has developed, is that they have just a
variety of services available and the you know, they're kind
of they're really working to give people like a whole
set people up for like their whole life. You know,
(18:07):
it's not just about giving them housing and food. It's
about educating them, it's about giving them job opportunities, it's
about childcare, it's about you know us. They're teaching people
how to start businesses and how to support themselves out
in the world. So it just it seems like every
year they're adding something new to their plate and sort
(18:30):
of diversifying the ways that they can help these people
in need in the LA area.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
And so.
Speaker 4 (18:37):
Yeah, I'm really happy that we also just can continue
to support this this organization.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
And it's also the support doesn't stop once they move
out of the house too, which I thought was almost
impressive aspect of it, where you're family for life, and
so they will help those that have been pass through
those halls for forever as long as as they needed. Yeah,
it's such a wonderful group of people.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
And you know, it's money is obviously very helpful for
organizations like this. If you're in the LA area and
donating money isn't really available to you right now, check
out alexandriahouse dot org find out there are other ways
to volunteer your time and your efforts in other ways.
(19:25):
So please, if you you know, if you can't make
a nominal donation, that's fine, but if you would like
to see how else you can help, check that out
because there are other opportunities and chances to help out
that aren't.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Just thank you for joining us, Kelly, about you, Kevin,
can you tell me.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yes, go download, stream and preferably by because that's more
money into Alexandria House's wallets near that Prepare for the
Broken by Nia Rivera. Any where you listen, download or
buy your music. It is available on every platform. Tell
your friends, tell your family, listen to it over these holidays,
listen to its playlist. That's right, get it streaming. Let's go,
(20:13):
and you can also go to Alexandria House dot org
slash Snicksmiss twenty twenty three that's Snicksmiths with two x's
to donate directly on their snicks Miss page for this
fundraiser for two weeks from December first to December fourteenth.
We have a goal of fifty thousand dollars. So you know,
as you have the song on in the background and
(20:34):
you feel moved, let's do what you can.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
On the bucket.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
You share on your social platforms. That's also huge, that
really helps. This thing is for you, guys, Buy you guys.
Word of mouth has made a huge difference in the
lives of these women and children that Alexandria House is
able to support through these donations. So we are thankful
for you, Thankful for Jenna and Tlly and every all
(21:00):
the Glee fam of Team Snicks, Misths who really came
through this year again for making this happen. I mean,
I can't even beget the people were donating their services.
Joe Bosi who mixed the record, he donated his services,
and Alex who schettle the content for it. Justineos. It's
a big team of friends and yes, absolutely, and so
(21:24):
people really at their best because they are you know,
they want to help and it's for a great cause.
And we love Naya, love you snakes, and we hope
you enjoy prayer for the broken and have a happy
and safe and Mary Snacksmiths Boodles, thanks for listening and
follow us on Instagram at and that's what you really
miss pod. Make sure to write us a review and
(21:46):
leave us five stars. See you next time.
Host
Jenna Ushkowitz
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