WDIV-Local 4 has a catchy new signature tune that will be hard to get out of your head.
From the deeply moving line “heart and soul of the city” to the last line “we are strong,” the new video is fittingly appropriate for the only local TV station still in the heart of Detroit.
The soulful vocals of Detroiter Tosha Owens hit just the right the mark, blending beautifully with city scenes, people, and the station’s reporters and anchors -- images artfully chosen by Creative Services Manager Jennifer Robicheau.
“This song is a perfect fit for us,” said Vice President and General Manager Marla Drutz. “A great message and captivating melody.”
“Detroit Strong” was written by local songwriter Keith Laurin, around the time the city was hit by the financial and automotive industry crisis.
“We were hurting, but the strength and persistence of the city was very evident to me,” Laurin said. He highlights those traits he loves in his song lyrics, and Owens really resonates with those words as she sings.
“It hit my heart in just the right place,” she said. “I was born, raised, and still reside in Detroit and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
She waxes poetic about the city and how people come from all over the world to find out what that Motown sound is all about.
Laurin wrote the song with rock and roll in mind, but it ended up with more of a Motown sound after the musical arrangement by Tony Suhy and Kurt Schreitmueller.
Owens and Laurin had not worked together before this song, but have done much together since. They were introduced to each other by Suhy, who thought Owens would be a great match for “Detroit Strong.”
Owens used to run Open Mic nights at Pub Froggy in Roseville, which is where the two met for the first time when Laurin “serenaded” her with the song, hoping she’d be interested in doing it.
“The rest is history,” says Laurin.
Through their collaborations they’ve won five Detroit Music Awards, including “Outstanding Urban Recording” for Detroit Strong in 2018.
Owens is a bit of a local legend, with an astonishing total of 18 Detroit Music Award wins under her belt. She has 30 years of singing experience, and has been singing the blues for about 15 years. As a girl, she taught herself to sing by listening to artists like Barbra Streisand and Chaka Khan. In her early bands, she sang tons of influential classics like RUSH, Fleetwood Mac, Grand Funk Railroad, and Led Zeppelin.
Laurin has an interesting musical history, himself. He took guitar lessons briefly as a child, then never played again until the age of 50 -- which was just 14 years ago. He was a steel industry sales director, but his wife gifted a nice acoustic guitar one Christmas and he’s written about 100 songs since.
And after 10 years of writing and performing original music, Keith Laurin formed Detroit Strong Music.
Watch the Detroit Strong music video here. The song is available to download or stream it whatever digital store you use.
Click here to learn more: https://www.detroitstrongmusic.com/