MANILA, Philippines — Filipino singer-songwriter Reese Lansangan wrote her "open letter to the universe" and NASA could read.
The 29-year-old musician’s “A Song About Space” — released back in 2013 when she was only 22 — has been featured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to draw hype for its new space campaign.
“When a song you wrote about space & exploration 7 years ago makes it to NASA... I am OVER the moon (pun intended) and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” she posted, sharing the #LaunchAmerica promotional video where her song ran for nearly a minute.
When a song you wrote about space & exploration 7 years ago makes it to @NASA...
— Reese ???? ??? (@reeseypeasy) May 20, 2020
I am OVER the moon (pun intended) and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it ??????????????????
Here’s to endless discovery ???? (& the hope that my music makes it to the ISS too!)https://t.co/BJMNuf0hWc https://t.co/M2QvW88jLy
Reese said that she "almost choked" on her water upon finding the 57 million follower-strong NASA in her direct messages.
“They said they loved my super old and embarrassing ‘A Song About Space’ video from my channel and asked if they could possibly use it for a promo vid. Nothing was set in stone so after I got over the immediate shock of the NASA DM, I just silently hoped for the best. Then I got an email back with the video link, and in my pride I took all the screencaps!”
The singer then revealed that her cosmic moment almost never happened, narrowly avoiding several close calls where she contemplated deleting the video.
“I always get teased for that old Space video of mine because 1) I still had braces & 2) I lisped (lithped) - but each time I thought about taking it down, I couldn’t bring myself to. I figured it’s part of my history & it’s fun to make fun of yourself every now and then! Little did I know, it would be the video that NASA would notice and end up watching... it just blows my mind!” she celebrated.
“I guess there’s a lesson in there somewhere - to honor yourself always - your lovable, bewildering, sometimes even embarrassing self! So from the bottom of NENE REESE’s heart - a sincere thank you to the universe for this tiny, tiny victory.”
The NASA project will see the first astronauts launched to the International Space Station from the United States since 2011.
The Crew Dragon has arrived to Launch Complex 39A! ????
This spacecraft will carry @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug to the @Space_Station when it launches atop a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 27, at 4:33 p.m. ET: https://t.co/yvfOCG49U8 pic.twitter.com/Tdtdaucdef— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) May 18, 2020
“This new era of human spaceflight will kick off when NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:32 p.m. EDT May 27, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission,” NASA said on its website.
The four and a half minute-long track is included in Reese’s 2016 debut album "Arigato, Internet!"
"'A Song About Space' is my open letter to the universe,” the artist said in a video from her 12-part YouTube mini-series "Dissecting the Song," where she explained the songwriting process behind her album.
“I feel like a lot of us have that innate fascination for space and what's beyond us, what's beyond Earth, and I just wanted to translate my curiosity into a simple but catchy song.”