Will.i.am Debuts New Song 'Reach For The Stars' Live From Mars – Audio
29 August 2012, 07:21 | Updated: 29 August 2012, 07:25
The 'Great Times' star creates a world first after his track was broadcast from the Curiosity rover on the red planet.
Will.i.am created history yesterday (28th August) when he and NASA broadcast his new song 'Reach For The Stars' live from the Curiosity rover on Mars.
The Black Eyed Peas man's track was beamed over 300 million miles back to earth where it was heard at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California by staff and students who the singer has aimed to inspire with the project.
Speaking about the tremendous feat, NASA administrator Charles Boden addressed the crowd in attendance at the conference that the singer had created the first song in a playlist of Mars exploration.
"Mars has always fascinated us, and the things Curiosity tells us about it will help us learn about whether or not life was possible there," he said. "And what future human explorers can expect. Will.i.am has provided the first song on our playlist of Mars exploration."
The track features huge orchestra sound and the decision to stay clear of anything traditionally hip-hop was a key factor for Will.
"I wanted to show human collaboration and have an orchestra there and something that would be timeless, and translated in different cultures, not have like a hip hop beat or a dance beat," he confessed.
"A lot of times people in my field aren't supposed to try to execute something classical, or orchestral, so I wanted to break that stigma."
He posed for photos with those in attendance at the educational event and answered questions from the students.
You can view a picture of Will.i.am with students after playing new song 'Reach For The Stars' for the first time: (Picture: Twitter)
The song features such lyrics as: "Why do they say the sky is the limit when I've seen those footprints on the moon."
Staff at the laboratory cheered and waved their hands in rhythm to the track as it was played back.
You can listen to Will.i.am's new song 'Reach For The Stars' below:
The track will also feature on Will's new studio album '#willpower' – the tracklisting and artwork of which leaked online this week.
The record will feature collaborations with the likes of Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Britney Spears.
