Composer Jimmy Webb wrote the song “MacArthur Park” way back in 1967 and its timeless lyrics still resonate today in 2024. The track plays well outdoors and made the perfect ending to wrap up the festivities at Chicago’s Pride Fest on June 23.
Vocalist Amber Riley teamed up with pianist Micah McLaurin to perform the song live for a rainbow of representation on Halsted Street that evening.
This new rendition was recorded at Sunset Studios in Los Angeles by Riley and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra provided 60 musicians to support the ambitious track.
Riley will always be remembered for playing Mercedes Jones in the Fox series Glee where she and the cast won a Screen Actors Guild Award. She originated the role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls and played Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse.
She won the seventeenth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars,making her the first Black woman to do so and then won the eighth season of The Masked Singer as Harp.
McLaurin studied at Julliard in 2018 and came out of the closet while living in New York. “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” leads his latest album Diamonds and there’s new music just on the horizon from this talented composer.
Riley and McLaurin talked backstage after captivating the Chicago crowd about their musical endeavor together and much more.
Windy City Times: When was the last time you were in Chicago, Amber? I saw you here on the Glee Live! tour in 2011.
Amber Riley: I think that was the last time I have been here.
WCT: Lea Michele told me after that the Chicago stop was the one time she went out to a club during that tour.
AR: Oh yeah, every time we came to Chicago we drank very heavily. We all got matching tattoos of stars.
WCT: That must have been a bonding moment. You seem like you are from Chicago.
AR: I do? [laughs]
WCT: You were born in California?
AR: Yes.
WCT: Where are you from, Micah?
Micah McLaurin: South Carolina.
WCT: What does Pride mean to you?
AR: It was my first time performing at Pride. I was honored and the LGBTQ+ community has always been welcoming to me. I love having fun onstage and feeling that great energy. I go to drag shows all the time. To be able to perform for the community and give back to them was amazing.
MM: Pride to me is about celebrating yourself. There are a lot of hardships that many queer people face and experience. This is a chance to turn something negative into a positive.
WCT: How did you both meet to work on the “MacArthur Park” track together?
AR: It was kismet and in the cards.
MM: I started “MacArthur Park” for my instrumental album Diamondsand knew it would be a big undertaking. It’s such a major song. I originally was going to do a piano cover version of it with an orchestra. I felt it needed a great singer to do it justice, so I thought of Amber.
AR: Aw, it’s so nice to be thought of!
WCT: “Colorblind” was another song that really showcases your skills vocally.
AR: Thank you. That was written by Emeli Sande and my friend Claude Kelly.
WCT: What is your favorite moment from Glee?
AR: There are so many but my favorite moment was performing the cover of “Bust Your Windows.” That was the first time that my character was able to step out on her own. For me, it was the first time that I felt like an artist. I made a music video and recorded it in the studio. It was a really big moment.
WCT: Do you still keep in touch with the cast?
AR: Yes, they are like my siblings.
WCT: Is there a musical that you would still like to perform, but haven’t?
AR: I just did The Preacher’s Wife so if it goes to Broadway I would very much like to do it there. I would like to do a new musical and there are always revivals, so we will see.
WCT: How do you protect your voice, Amber?
AR: Sleep.
MM: Do you drink milk?
AR: I don’t and try to stay away from dairy. I sleep a lot and that is really the best way to protect the voice and to shut up. I have a t-shirt that says, “I am on full vocal rest, sorry!” [all laugh]
WCT: Micah, when did you start piano?
MM: Since I was eight years old.
WCT: You just took to the keys immediately?
MM: My grandma gave our family a piano when I was eight. She plays piano also. I became obsessed. I got lessons a month after a month of trying to teach myself. After that, I didn’t care about anything other than playing the piano.
AR: I love that!
WCT: When did you learn you could sing, Amber?
AR: I come from a musically inclined family and they were also an artsy family in general. If someone wasn’t a writer, then they were a producer. My uncles were all in a band and played for Evelyn “Champagne” King. My mom sang with Chaka Khan.
I have always known I could sing and think I was two years old when I had my first performance. It was at a church function in a park!
WCT: Who would you both like to work with that you haven’t so far? You just met Sam Smith at a party, Micah.
MM: Sure, I will work with Sam! Lately, I really like Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.
AR: I will take Sabrina Carpenter. I really like her music a lot. She’s really great onstage too.
WCT: Did you enjoy participating in reality competition shows like The Masked Singer?
AR: I did actually. Dancing with the Stars was really hard, but because it was so hard that made it really rewarding.
The Masked Singer was super easy. It was fun to be a fool and put on a costume. I can say that no one knew it was me, but everyone knew it was me! It was the worst kept secret ever…
WCT: Who created the fashion for your outfits tonight?
AR: My stylist is iCON Tips (Casey Billingsley) and he designed this for me.
MM: Zaldy designed this. He’s a designer in New York. We actually didn’t plan this together.
AR: We didn’t. [laughs] It literally just came together!
WCT: What future projects do you have coming up?
AR: I have my second EP coming out. I am playing Ursula in Disney Junior’s Ariel.
MM: I am working on my pop album. It will be original songs. I am singing and also playing on it.
WCT: Your resume is very impressive, Micah.
MM: Thank you. It’s a lot of hard work!
McLaurin’s new dance single “Call Me” drops on July 10. Visit micahmclaurin.com for social media and music videos.