TV Exclusive: CUTTING EDGE COMPOSERS CORNER - Ben Platt Performs Drew Gasparini's 'The Last Loser in the Universe'

Last month, Cutting Edge Composers held their concert at 54 Below, and one of the highlights of the evening included "The Last Loser in the Universe" by Drew Gasparini being sung by the incredibly talented Ben Platt, who is currently starring in The Book of Mormon on Broadway. Check out Platt's performance below!

We asked Drew about his inspiration for writing this song, he said: "I wrote this song about a year ago for one of the better-known theater production companies. It was for a specific project and when I did not get the job, I thought 'well, this song still rings true and hits home for a lot of people (myself included), so I'm still gonna share this one.' The song is essentially a shout-out to any young person who is cast aside in the social world due to his or her passion for something that isn't the 'now.' In the case of this character, his passion is magic. And the more I thought about it, theater, music, technology/science, doesn't make you a nerd anymore...it makes you a star, or Steve Jobs. The hobby that still is looked upon weirdly is magic, so in a way, magicians are truly the last 'losers' in the universe.... (in a manner of speaking). Point is... even when people look at you differently for what you do or believe in, there's always that fire inside you that says 'keep going.' The word loser is subjective, and that's what makes this character a hero to me, even through the course of one song."

Drew Gasparini is an award-winning musical theatre composer/lyricist, a performing singer/songwriter, and winner of the 2006 John Lennon Songwriter's award. He has written the music, lyrics, and book for his musical Crazy, Just Like Me (winner of "Best Of Fest" and runner up for "Best Book" NYMF 2011), and music & lyrics for Make Me Bad (PACE new musicals; book by Alex Brightman), Turn Of The Screw, commission by Fordham University, 2012 workshop at Lincoln Center; book by Michael Kimmel, and #UntitledPopMusical (book by Michael Kimmel) to name a few. Drew was a contributing composer to the television series SMASH (season 2) on NBC - he was also seen and heard on Oxygen's The Next Big Thing, and has contributed music to the popular one-woman, Off-Broadway show, "Hot Mess In Manhattan." His work is regularly heard at Contemporary Classics New Voices in Seattle and Cutting-Edge Composers, and his brand of theater concerts are performed regularly at esteemed NYC venues such as Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, and 54 Below.

"The Music & Lyrics of Drew Gasparini" was presented at the Kennedy Center in 2012. And Drew's musical theatre album "I Could Use A Drink: The Songs Of Drew Gasparini", featuring the vocals of some of Broadway's biggest names, was released through Broadway Records in 2013 and spent 5 weeks on the top 100 iTunes charts. Drew is an alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre workshop and his sheet music is available at www.NewMusicalTheatre.com. Currently Drew is working on several new musicals as well as the development of a variety show, and television series with The (M)orons.