Brian Crabb first discovered Auna Mae's
voice when another producer handed him her self-titled album,
which her band “Beyond The Words”had released
nearly a year earlier under the name “aunamae”.
He liked what he heard and invited her to write a song for
the project.
“June 3rd, late in the night, I was
asked to write a song for the 9/11 project,” she said.
“The next day, June 4th, the Lord woke me up with
a melody and words to the song “The Unforgotten”.
Within three hours, Auna Mae had composed
the melody, lyrics, chords, and accompaniment. She attributes
the song's speedy completion to God's insistence.
“God gave me the song as a wake up alarm, 'Get up,
I have a song for you to write.',” she said. “I
got up, got a pad and a pencil, started writing and before
I knew it, I had a beautiful ballad composed. Letting my
imagination go wild, helps me write the song and give it
more passion.”
She buzzed with excitement and found herself
ready for the next step.
“I couldn’t wait to fully record this song.
I went to Nashville in July to record “The Unforgotten”
at Dark Diamond Digital Media Studios,” she said.
According to Auna Mae, “The Unforgotten”
depicts the scene of 9/11 from morning to night, remembering
the innocent people who lost their lives as well as those
who saved others instead of themselves.
“We remember and we will continue
to remember those who went to work, just like any other
day, working hard for their families, going through their
normal routine,” Auna Mae said. “We remember
and we will continue to remember the firefighters running
up the stairs into the blaze, to save others instead of
themselves, the police, service men, volunteers, and those
who lost their lives trying to save people they never knew.”
Auna Mae recalls she was a sophomore at
Lebanon Valley College on that fateful day. She spent Tuesdays
in a weekly prayer group in a chapel, and this day was no
different until a friend came and told Auna Mae and her
friends the news.
“A friend of ours came in to tell
us that a plane just crashed into one of the Twin Towers,”
she said. “We were all in shock. We prayed that the
people in the twin towers would get out safely, for those
injured, for those who died, and their families for comfort.”
Auna Mae went back to her dorm room to
watch the events on the news.
“I remember staring at the television,
as if time stood still for at least ten minutes, as I could
not believe what was happening before my eyes,” she
said. “I talked to friends at school and all of them
either had a family member or knew someone who worked in
the towers. Some of my family knew people who died in the
towers.”
Understandably, the day impacted Auna Mae
a lot, she said.
“I will never forget that day, the
way I felt for people I never knew and their families, where
I was, what I remember seeing on TV and around me, my friends
I talked with about their loved ones, and how we all came
together as a country to help each other,” she said.
More poignant for Auna Mae is her deep
connection to the military as many of her relatives, spanning
all the way back to the Civil War, served in the military.
This website will feature a future article about her heritage.
Auna Mae finds herself excited about contributing
to this project, she said.
“I am very honored to be involved
with the 9/11 project for the 10-year anniversary. I am
honored to sing a song evoking the emotions of 9/11, to
acknowledge and remember the people who lost their lives
innocently or by saving others,” she said. “The
entire album is an emotional roller coaster that reminds
you of 9/11, the lives lost, their families, crying out
to God, and soldiers courageously fighting for our freedom.”
“God gave me“The Unforgotten”
and it is a song of remembrance, of those who innocently
lost their lives during the 9/11 tragedy, or saved others
instead of themselves. These men and women will never be
forgotten,” she said.
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