Bergen man's anthem went viral. His cause is kindness

"We Are The World" helped the starving children of Ethiopia. "That's What Friends Are For" was the music industry's answer to HIV.

But "I Wish," a new global anthem from a Bergen County philanthropist and musician, addresses a present-day crisis that, in its own way, is also hurting people.

We are suffering, said creator Ken Freirich, from an epidemic of meanness.

"I think we as a world, as a society, are going through in some ways a very turbulent and divisive time," he said. "What the song does is try to bring people together, and have people appreciate each other for their differences. And to encourage everyone to accept each other for who and what they are."

Striking a chord

Evidently, there are many out there who agree with him.

"I Wish" single, cover

When a version of his song, recorded by the African Children's Choir, was released on Feb. 27 of this year, it quickly went viral. So far, it has had 18 million views, 15 million on YouTube alone, he said.

"I'm thrilled," he said. "I'm absolutely delighted and excited about it, because the more people who see the video and hear the music and listen to the lyrics, the more opportunity we have to spread kindness and make the world better."

Freirich, who retired five years ago as CEO of the Health Monitor Network, based in Montvale, is committed to making the world a better place — with all the (considerable) means at his disposal.

Gift giving

He donates to many charities and causes: Teen Cancer America, Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, and the Path Fund's Rockers on the Rise, among others. And he also takes suggestions.

"Every Wednesday on Instagram and Facebook I have 'I Wish Wednesdays,' where we ask people to submit their favorite charity, or a charity that has impacted them or a loved one in some way. And every week, we pick a different charity and make a donation."

Meanwhile, he relaxes with some upscale pastimes: Thoroughbred racing is a passion.

But his most absorbing hobby is being a Nice Guy.

He wrote "I Wish" for his own music group and collective, Random Acts of Kindness. It was released on his own label, Better World Records, in October 2025. But when the song was sung by the children from Uganda in the new online version, it really took off.

Words to live by

In the video, some 20 personable, beaming young people are shown at school, out in the African countryside and — not least — in the recording studio, singing lyrics like:

"I wish for a day where the whole world comes to a stopA day where there is no clockA day where there is no fearno anger, just cheer ..."

The African Children's Choir

The song, somewhat reminiscent of John Lennon's "Imagine," and not by accident (Freirich wrote the "I Wish" lyrics and co-wrote the music with producer Mike Rogers), is a plea for a better world. In the video, it's sung by a younger generation that has the most at stake.

"I loved the simplicity of 'Imagine,' and I loved the power of the lyrics," he said. "I realized there's an opportunity to create something very simple, meaningful and powerful that can change the world, spread kindness, raise people up at at time when they need it, and also provide hope and inspiration."

Such was his mission, even back when he was CEO of Health Monitor Network, a targeted health care marketing platform that Freirich calls "the largest patient education/engagement company in the country." During the COVID years, he was particularly mindful — as we all were — of the country's health care workers, and their beyond-the-call-of-duty heroics.

"We worked with hundreds of thousands of physicians and health care professionals across the country," he said.

"I had written and produced a song called 'Healthcare Workers Rock!' to give health care workers on the front lines the visibility and attention they deserved. That's when I started a record label called Better World Records, and the music collective-slash-group called Random Acts of Kindness."

Taking music to heart

Freirich, it should be explained, is himself a musician. As a drummer, he's been performing in the classic rock band MedROCK for eight years. And yes, he really does believe in random acts of kindness. He tries to do them every week.

Ken Freirich behind the drums

"I don't feel there's enough kindness in the world," he said. "I want to be that ambassador."

"I Wish," the original track by his group Random Acts of Kindness, was released on Oct. 29, 2025. Just days later, it was performed by kids from the San Diego Children's Choir at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, in front of 50,000 people.

"It went over great," Freirich said. "I had hundreds of people approach me who were blown away by the song. When I saw how well received it was, and the impact of the lyrics of the song as delivered by children, I realized what I needed was a global initiative. I needed to bring the children's voices from around the world, in every continent, to spread kindness and make the world a better place."

He'd read about the African Children's Choir in a newspaper article, and he reached out to its chief creative officer. Soon after, some of the kids in Uganda reached out to him: surprising him by singing the song in a happy birthday video by phone.

"When I saw the video, I was blown away," he recalled. "I said, we need to partner together and release a track."

Going global

Now that their version of "I Wish" has taken off online, Freirich plans to duplicate the feat with more versions, featuring kids from every continent. Next stop: Ukraine. "We're targeting a release by the beginning of July," he said.

His song, he believes, will speak very strongly to the kids in that war-torn country, too.

"What I've learned, through my partners locally, is that it's a very challenging time for the kids," he said. "They have a lot of activities in bomb shelters, and what I've learned is that music has been a tremendous release for them. It's something the kids are just really into, because they have time on their hands and not a lot of things they can do."

Thank you to AOL for sharing The Record's feature on Ken and "I Wish."