Katy Perry: Rise released to celebrate 2016 Rio Olympics

Katy Perry has just released her first new single in two years…and it’s for a special occasion: the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The “Roar” pop star dropped “Rise,” which she also wrote, an uplifting track with a dash of electronic influence, late Thursday night on iTunes and Apple Music.

Her voice is distorted and slightly computerized in the verse, before giving way to a soaring chorus. “When the fire’s at my feet again, and the vultures all start circling/They’re whispering, ‘You’re out of time,’ but still I rise,” she sings.

“This is a song that’s been brewing inside me for years, that has finally come to the surface. I was inspired to finish it now, rather than save it for my next album, because now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite,” the Grammy nominee said in a statement. “I know that together we can rise above the fear – in our country, and around the world. I can’t think of a better example than the Olympic athletes, as they gather in Rio with their strength and fearlessness, to remind us how we ALL can come together, with the resolve to be the best we can be. I hope this song can inspire us to heal, unite, and rise together. I am honored that NBC Olympics has chosen to use it as an anthem before and during the Rio Games.”

Her last single was released in August 2014 with the Prism collaboration “This Is How We Do” with rapper Riff Raff. (The album originally came out in October 2013.) Perry also dropped a one-off Christmas song, “Every Day is a Holiday,” last November.

Listen to “Rise” now on iTunes and Apple Music, and watch the track’s video above.