Entertainment Sports Katy Perry Debuts Empowering New Olympic Anthem 'Rise' Ahead of Rio Katy Perry said she decided to release "Rise" because of "the overall mood of the world today By Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble Lindsay Kimble is a Senior Digital News Editor and the Sports Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She's worked at PEOPLE for over seven years as a writer, reporter and editor across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Super Bowl to the Met Gala. She's been nominated for the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30, and previously wrote for Us Weekly while on staff at Wenner Media. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 15, 2016 11:30 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy Capitol Records Victory is in our veins – just ask Katy Perry. The pop songstress has released a brand new single in honor of the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio, but the empowering tune is so much more than a celebration of America’s athletics. “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 the album, because of the overall mood of the world today,” Perry said of her song on Today, Friday, following the horrific Bastille Day attack in France. “Now more than ever, there is a need for our world to unite.” “Rise,” which is accompanied by a video montage of stunning Olympic moments, includes lyrics like, “I won’t just conform/ No matter how you shake my core/ Cause my roots the run deep.” “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,” the chorus continues. [IMAGE “1” “” “std” ]Perry told Today in the pre-recorded message that she hopes “Rise” will be both inspiring and healing. Related Video: Things Heat up Between Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom in Hawaii “I know that together we can rise above the fear – in our country, and around the world,” she explained. “And I can’t think of a better example coming up than the Olympic athletes, as they gather together 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. ” The song will be used by NBC leading up to and during its Olympic programming this August. Of her music’s inclusion in the games, Perry wrote on Twitter, “I am honored.” Said Perry, “Let’s unite and rise.”