“New York’s Most Iconic Lady Shines Bright,” an original song by composer Kenneth D. Laub, arrives ahead of July 4, 2026
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Composer Kenneth D. Laub and legendary singer Marilyn Maye have released a new music video, “New York’s Most Iconic Lady Shines Bright,” a tribute to the Statue of Liberty timed to the Fourth of July and the nation’s 250th anniversary. The video is now streaming on YouTube with a runtime of 4:46.
Written by Laub and performed by Maye, the song is sung from the perspective of the Statue of Liberty herself. Its theme is resilience: a monument weathered by time, restored through collective effort, and still standing as the country marks 250 years. Rather than treat the statue as a distant landmark, the lyric gives her a voice that is proud, weathered and renewed.
The video sets Maye’s vocal against views of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline, framing the performance in the city the song celebrates.
Maye’s presence anchors the project. An American singer celebrated across jazz, cabaret and the Great American Songbook over a career of more than eight decades, she was a Grammy nominee for Best New Artist in 1966 and holds the record for the most appearances by a singer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with 76. In 2023, in her mid-90s, she made her acclaimed solo Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops, and she continues to headline New York rooms including 54 Below, Birdland and Jazz at Lincoln Center. That history gives her reading of the song a weight few performers could bring to it.
“The Statue of Liberty has watched over this city and this country for generations,” said Laub. “I wanted her to speak for herself, not as a monument, but as someone who has endured, been cared for, and is still standing. Marilyn Maye was the only voice I could imagine carrying that.”
The song is part of Laub’s larger body of work about New York City, written to mark the America250 milestone. The video is available at: https://youtu.be/C-dNzExQVdQ?si=LH6I6PjQ1F_sSZ9q
About Kenneth D. Laub
Kenneth D. Laub is an ASCAP composer, lyricist and producer with a catalog of more than 150 original songs about New York City, love, memory and daily life. He is the creator of New York, Old Friend and wrote the book, music and lyrics for the musical Priceless. His work brings theatrical storytelling together with a lifelong affection for New York and the characters who give the city its voice. He composes from his Upper East Side townhouse, known as the Versailles Townhouse, a home built around music that is currently for sale by the James Weiss team at Corcoran for $17M.
About Marilyn Maye
Marilyn Maye is an American singer, recording artist and educator whose career spans more than eight decades across jazz, cabaret and the Great American Songbook. A Grammy nominee, she set the record for the most appearances by a singer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Her RCA catalog includes seven albums and the hit recording of “Cabaret,” and the Smithsonian Institution selected her recording of “Too Late Now” for its collection of the best American compositions of the twentieth century. She continues to perform and teach, dividing her time between New York and Kansas City.
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New York’s Most Iconic Lady Shines Bright
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