National Geographic Documentary Films taps Grammy award-winning legend Tim McGraw to perform an original song for its upcoming feature documentary FREE SOLO. From award-winning documentary filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin (“Meru”), the highly anticipated film documents “one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind ever” (The New York Times) and will premiere at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend andl be released in theaters on Sept. 28. McGraw Music LLC/Columbia Nashville will release McGraw’s song, Gravity, digitally later this year.
Performed by McGraw, the song was co-written by McGraw and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Lori McKenna (“Humble and Kind”, “Girl Crush”), and complements the intensely intimate, personal story of climber Alex Honnold in FREE SOLO.
“There are few people who pursue their passion with the fearlessness of Alex Honnold. It’s both terrifying and exhilarating to be on that journey with him when you watch FREE SOLO. Lori McKenna and I wanted the lyric of ‘Gravity’ to be a reminder that fear is a battle fought on a variety of planes, from mental to spiritual to physical. We tend to think ‘fearlessness’ is synonymous with big bold gestures, but there’s also a fragility inherent in risk – and we wanted that to come through. In the studio, Byron Gallimore and I wanted a track that sonically resonated with Marco Beltrami’s score and felt as big as El Capitan,” said McGraw.
“It was an honor to work with Tim McGraw and he truly delivered a stunning song with ‘Gravity,'” says the film’s Music Supervisor Tracy McKnight. “The song perfectly captures the heart and soul of this remarkable film and Alex Honnold’s extraordinary achievement.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with two of the most phenomenally talented artists in the world – music superstar Tim McGraw and top-tier songwriter Lori McKenna,” says Ashley Winton, vice president, music, National Geographic Partners. “Their genuine passion and honesty shines through in the track, ‘Gravity,’ further connecting audiences to the profoundly aspirational story told in FREE SOLO.“

FREE SOLO is a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock … the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park … without a rope. The edge-of-your seat thriller is an inspiring portrait of an athlete who challenges both his body and his beliefs on a quest to triumph over the impossible, revealing the personal toll of excellence.
Link to FREE SOLO trailer here.