New York, NY (Top40 Charts / Peaceman Music) Singer, songwriter and philanthropist SIR IVAN, also known as Peaceman, has released a new (EDM) electronic dance music version of John Lennon's "
Imagine". The song is co-produced by Grammy Award winner Omar Okram and legendary music arranger
Peter Rafelson. It is the first single released off SIR IVAN's new 10 song album called "Peaceman Shines". Each of the 10 songs, created by 10 different producers, are all well-known anti-war and peace songs from the 60s and early 70s, except for two original songs, co-written by SIR IVAN, that share the same theme.
SIR IVAN stated, "In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, and to pay respect to John Lennon, who passed away 35 years ago, on December 8th 1980, it is an appropriate time for a new generation to listen to Lennon's optimistic lyrics, which offer hope to all people on the planet and a formula for world peace."
This is not the first time SIR IVAN has released a new version of "Imagine," He did so on
September 4th, 2001, exactly one week before
September 11th, when he launched his music career and became the first recording artist in history to turn any slow ballad of the
Beatles or
John Lennon into an up tempo dance record. Personally signed to the Tommy Boy Label by its owner, Tom Silverman, SIR IVAN's revolutionary fast paced version of "
Imagine" became an instant top 40 hit on the Billboard Dance Chart. This proved that even thirty years after the original was released by
John Lennon in 1971, the lyrics of "
Imagine" were just as relevant to a whole new generation. Now, 15 years after SIR IVAN's 2001 release, because the planet still has not learned to live in peace, SIR IVAN is once again giving the world an opportunity to come together as one while raising money for a good cause.
In 2005, SIR IVAN, son of Auschwitz survivor Siggi B. Wilzig, created The Peaceman Foundation, a charity that donates funds to other non-profit organizations that help people suffering from Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a debilitating mental condition that often results from exposure to severe acts of violence, such as brutal attacks against members of the LGBT community, atrocities of war and terrorism. SIR IVAN has seen firsthand what survivors go through. His own father suffered from classic PTSD symptoms; severe headaches, flashbacks, nightmares and depression, as a result of brutal beatings in the concentration camps and the deaths of 59 members of his family during the Holocaust. All of SIR IVAN's recording artist royalties from the single "
Imagine" and the album "Peaceman Shines" will be donated to The Peaceman Foundation to battle PTSD. Both are available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Beatport Pro and many other top digital music stores. Physical CDs can be purchased at CD Baby.
