Cheyenne Jackson sings Scott Alan's SURRENDER - Live @ Birdland

Cheyenne Jackson performs "Surrender" at Scott Alan's CD Release event for 'Dreaming Wide Awake' on January 7, 2008. CD available on CDbaby.com/scottalan and iTunes.

BACKSTORY: I was doing a concert at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in the Summer of 2003 with Shoshana Bean, Billy Porter, Kate Wetherhead and Courtney Balan. Gavin Creel was also suppose to sing at the concert as well, but had to pull out last minute. I was so new to the industry I didn't know what to do. I knew Billy from Los Angeles, had only met Shoshana a few weeks prior and met Gavin through Shoshana.

My friend Zakiya Young (now making her Broadway Debut in The Little Mermaid and part of the original cast of 'Monday Nights, New Voices') had introduced me to her friend Gerry McIntyre, who was helping me put final touches on the concert. He suggested a newcomer who was a standby for Will Chase in AIDA.

We had three days before the concert and I told Gerry that whomever he got to fill Gavin's spot, I'm sure, would be wonderful.

Enter Cheyenne Jackson. The most beautiful man I had ever seen upclose. Yet, could he sing ? I think we know the answer to that question. Funny quick story. I remember when the press release came out for the concert and on playbill.com they used Cheyenne's headshot for the photo and how excited he was. Well, Four years later and here he was, no longer a newcomer but now, officially, a legitimate Broadway Star.

Surrender was actually written from a concept Shoshana Bean had sent me. She asked me to write the music for some lyrics she had written. Instead, I wrote an entirely new song. The only one lyric that remained ? SURRENDER.

Cheyenne was the very first person to sing this song, that Summer night in 2003. And, now, again, in the Winter of 2008.