It's not every day you get to be in the same company as Grammy Award-winning singer Melissa Etheridge.
But Newburyport High School graduate Briana Cash's song, "Take a Walk with Me," has earned a spot alongside Etheridge's "I Run For Life" on a list of approved songs for use in promoting and celebrating the Susan G. Komen Race/Walk for the Cure events nationwide. Boston's Race for the Cure takes place tomorrow.
Etheridge chronicles her own battle with breast cancer in her song, which has been used for several years by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
While Etheridge's "I Run For Life" is the official song for the race, this year, the organization was ready to add some new selections to its song bank.
The 28-year-old Cash, who has been creating music from an early age, says she wrote "Take a Walk with Me" after watching the "Sex and the City" movie. The title is a reference to the Komen Race/Walk for the Cure, a worldwide race series attended by more than 1 million breast cancer survivors and supporters to help raise funds for breast cancer awareness and research.
"It is something uplifting and a good walking or running song," Cash says of "Take a Walk with Me." "It's the perfect match for the breast cancer campaign. Men, women, young and old, all like it."
"Take a Walk with Me" is featured on Cash's debut CD, "All I Want," a pop acoustic recording paired with a jazzy intimate vibe that she made last year.
In addition to her song having the chance to be used for the Race/Walk for the Cure, Cash is narrating a public service announcement for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation that local affiliates can choose to use when they deem fit, according to the Susan G. Komen organization.
"This is certainly a cause I am passionate about," Cash says. "I donated my song to them to use forever if they want. They can do whatever they want with it."
After spending her early years in Florida, where she sang for Disney and Universal Studios, Cash says she lived in Beverly when she was young before moving to Newburyport while in high school. She graduated from Newburyport High School and earned her degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2003. The singer-songwriter now teaches music privately and performs at various venues in the area.
Cash says she will be on hand for this weekend's Boston walk and will also be performing a benefit concert for the Susan G. Komen Foundation on Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston.
She hopes "Take a Walk with Me" strikes a chord with people and leads them to delve deeper into her music.
"I hope the song inspires people to walk," she says. "And also hear my song and want to know and hear more."
Hear More
Benefit Concert: Briana Cash with special guests The Croad Brothers performs on Sunday, Oct. 11, at The Hard Rock Cafe in Boston. Tickets are $10. Visit www.ticketweb.com/t3/event/EventListings?orgId=15107.
Online: Sample Briana Cash's music at www.brianacash.com.