The Glee Cast Released A Previously Unheard Naya Rivera Song In Her Memory

The Glee cast is keeping Naya Rivera’s memory alive this holiday season by lending their voices to one of the late actor’s previously unreleased songs for a special cause.

First recorded by Rivera in 2012, “Prayer for the Broken” is now available to stream or download, with new background vocals from Glee alums Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Heather Morris, Vanessa Lengies, and Ashley Fink.

Proceeds from the song will benefit Rivera’s favorite charity, Alexandria House, which provides “safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from emergency shelter to economic stability and permanent housing,” per the organization’s website.

A Holiday Miracle

The special release is part of the annual Snixxmas charity event, which Rivera’s loved ones launched months after she drowned in California’s Lake Piru while boating with her then-4-year-old son Josey in July 2020. She was 33.

“This year we couldn’t have asked for a bigger holiday miracle. An unreleased song from Naya Riveras vault,” Morris, who played Brittany on Glee, captioned a Dec. 1 Instagram post. “I am so grateful to have joined the cast to sing background behind my friend.”

Also citing “a true Snixxmas miracle” in a separate Instagram caption, McHale (aka Glee’s Artie) added, “This year, let’s celebrate the gifts Naya gave to us, her talent and her heart. This song has meant so much to me over the years and now I hope it will for all of you.”

Speaking to E! on Dec. 1, Ushkowitz (Tina) chimed in, “It’s just a really special song now that we’ll have and that, more importantly, the fans will have to be able to hear her voice again.”

A Worthy Cause

Alexandria House’s Snixxmas fundraiser page further noted that “Prayer for the Broken” dropped on Dec. 1 with “blessings from” the song’s writers, Lindy Robbins and Isaac Hasson, as well as Rivera’s mother, Yolanda Previtire.

“We hope that ‘Prayer For The Broken’ brings you the same comfort it has brought us over the years—a poignant reminder of Naya’s otherworldly talent and a heartfelt gift, allowing us to hear her once more through this inspiring message,” reads a note on their website.

Rivera had been a “steadfast” and vocal supporter of the Los Angeles-based organization prior to her death. “The connection I feel with [Alexandria House] and the people who reside and work there has been the biggest blessing and made such a huge positive impact on myself and my son,” she wrote in February 2020. “We truly have found a home away from home through the time we spend volunteering there.”

The fundraising campaign lasts two weeks, and fans are also encouraged to honor Rivera’s memory by donating directly to Alexandria House.