Trisha Yearwood doesn't normally get emotional while she's laying down vocals in a recording studio. But the country music star and celebrity chef, who is set to star as the Virgin Mary in Fox's upcoming live two-hour event "The Passion," said she got emotional while recording her songs for the musical's soundtrack, which was released today.
"The Passion" will chronicle the last hours of Jesus Christ's life before he is sentenced to crucifixion, and actor/producer Tyler Perry will narrate a modern version of the 2,000-year-old tale set to contemporary hit music. The musical will play out across various stages set up in New Orleans, and it will also feature a live procession of about a thousand people carrying a 20-foot illuminated cross through the city, from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to a stage near the Mississippi River at Woldenberg Park.
For her role as Mary, Yearwood is scheduled to perform a handful of hits - the late Whitney Houston's 1998 hit "My Love is Your Love," singer/songwriter Jewel's 1998 song "Hands," "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Rodgers and Hamemerstein's 1945 musical "Carousel" and Lifehouse's 2007 single "Broken" - and she said she had tears in her eyes as she recorded every track.
"I'm having to sing songs that I'm going to be singing at the foot of the cross, and I had to be thinking about what was happening in the story when I was singing the song," the 51-year-old "Trisha's Southern Kitchen" star said. "I got very emotional, which is not the norm for me in the studio. That was the last time I've cried."
The soundtrack, which was arranged by "The Passion" executive producer and executive music producer Adam Anders and "The Passion" music producer Peer Åström, also features songs performed by Yearwood's co-stars. "Televnovela" star Jencarlos Canela as Jesus, former "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry as Judas, Latin pop star Prince Royce as disciple Peter and r&b legend Seal as Pontious Pilate all contributed to the album along with special guest, gospel music star Yolanda Adams.
Although Yearwood's role as Mary does not involve acting on-camera, the "How Do I Live" singer said she faces the difficult task of using her voice as a storytelling tool.
"Even though I don't have spoken lines, I sing 'Broken' at the foot of cross," Yearwood told said. "So I still have to be in character. I'm confident as a singer, but it is daunting. I have to be able to immerse myself in it emotionally. And I don't mind getting emotional, but there's an ugly Yearwood cry that can happen, and if it does, I would not be able to sing."
Listen to Yearwood's cover of "Broken" below and be sure to catch the "The Passion," airing live on Palm Sunday, March 20 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
