(July 17, 2026) Award-winning singer, songwriter and filmmaker Carl Brister is taking on one of pop and soul music’s most recognizable ballads, reimagining Lionel Richie’s “Hello” as the centerpiece of an ambitious new short film.
Premiering today on YouTube, Hello: A Cinematic Love Story moves beyond the traditional music-video format. Directed by Fredy Mfuko, the narrative film explores love, separation and the sacrifices made by military service members and the families who wait for them at home.
At the heart of the project is a simple but powerful thought: “I want to wake up every day with you being the one I say hello to.” Brister uses that sentiment to examine how easily ordinary moments with the people we love can be taken for granted.
“Behind every uniform, there’s a human heart,” Brister says. “Hello reminds us that love — and simply having the opportunity to say ‘hello’ to the people we cherish each day — is a gift we often take for granted.”
The film marks the third collaboration between Brister and Mfuko, following their work together on Will Be Spring Again and Colorblind. Filmed at several New Jersey locations, including Verona Park and Weequahic Park, the production pairs Brister’s performance with actress Natasha M. Gallop, as the two portray a relationship shaped by devotion, uncertainty and sacrifice.
Brister also developed the new musical arrangement with guitarist Ricky Persaud Jr., whose expressive playing adds another emotional layer while maintaining the spirit of Richie’s original recording.
More than four decades after “Hello” became an international hit, Brister’s interpretation finds a new story within the familiar song — one centered not simply on romantic longing, but on resilience, reunion and the quiet heroism of those who serve and those who love them.
