Alma Har’el was one of about 500,000 women who descended on D.C. for the Women’s March in Washington. Her phone had died and she was lost and trying to navigate the crowd, when a group of women right beside her started to sing.
“When they started singing, I checked on my phone frustrated that it’s dead and it suddenly sprung back to life,” Har’el wrote on Facebook, saying she was either lucky or “sent” to see these women.
So she started recording, capturing what many are now calling the theme song of the Women’s Marches around the world. It’s called “Quiet,” and the blonde woman in the center of the group is MILCK, whose other singles have been featured on hit TV shows. Har’el’s video on Facebook, posted Saturday night, has been viewed more than 8 million times as of Monday morning.
“This song and it’s sentiment made me cry tears of relief the whole time I was filming it,” Har’el wrote. “The beauty and the harmony of their voices captured for me how women can come together to find their voice. I find it healing and empowering in the best possible way.”
The chorus includes the phrase, “I can’t keep quiet/a one woman riot.”
@Almaharel please get them to record and release this song. It's going to be an anthem of 2017. I want to play on repeat #icantkeepquiet
— chipo chung (@chipochung) January 22, 2017
@Almaharel @SwanQueenoholic This was the most inspiring thing I've seen all day. You've done us women proud. I still have chills and tears
— (@Jackaddict) January 22, 2017
But it’s more than just a song, according to MILCK. She said she wrote it from a personal space, as a survivor of abuse, anorexia and depression.
“The first project is the #ICANTKEEPQUIET choir of D.C., which will start the movement of guerilla (sic) style performances at The Women’s March on Jan 21st, 2017,” the I Can’t Keep Quiet website reads. “The choir will be surprising unsuspecting strangers in the DC area on the day of the march with flash mob performances of ‘Quiet,’ a song of empowerment written by Los Angeles musician, MILCK.”
The singing group is comprised of 26 women from Los Angeles and D.C. with diverse backgrounds.
The project will look to find the stories of everyday people who have struggled to speak out, and 20 percent of the proceeds from the merchandise sold on the website will benefit the Los Angeles chapter of Step Up, a nonprofit that provides mentorship programs for underprivileged girls from ages 13 to 18.
MILCK told BuzzFeed that she’s gotten requests to use the song from places as far as Australia and Belgium.
The full lyrics to the song can be found at ICantKeepQuiet.org.
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