WCCO highlights song student wrote in honor of bandmate
A story on local CBS news affiliate WCCO-TV profiles St. Olaf College student Samantha Brown ’17, who will soon release her new single in tribute to Zach Sobiech, her lifelong friend and bandmate who died from cancer in May.
Sobiech’s own song, “Clouds,” reached number one on iTunes in the days after his death, raised more than $500,000 for children’s cancer research, and has inspired millions — including Brown, who composed her song while participating in a church retreat last February. She wrote her thoughts to Sobiech on a pamphlet titled “How to Go to Confession,” which became the song’s title.
“I got home and I showed Zach. And I said, ‘I wrote this song, but I’m not sure what to call it.’ He said, ‘Well, it looks like it’s already titled for you,’” Brown tells WCCO.
“How to Go to Confession” will debut in October and is expected to raise thousands of dollars for children’s cancer research, specifically the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund. Brown, who is leaning toward majoring in English at St. Olaf, is a member of the Manitou Singers.