WATCH: Lea Michele sings as Rachel Berry in final ‘Glee’ song

MANILA, Philippines – The countdown to end of Glee continues with the release of Rachel Berry’s final song entitled “This Time,” penned by none other than Darren Criss, who plays Blaine Anderson on the show. (IN PHOTOS: ‘Glee’ cast says goodbye as show tapes final episodes)

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Darren shared that he wrote the song as a love note to Glee, both for the show itself and for its fans:

“I wrote ‘This Time’ as a love note to all things Glee. The show itself, the emotions of the people leaving it—both the characters and the actors themselves, the effect it had on everyone — I tried to cram all these ideas into a single person’s narrative. I wanted Rachel’s words to encapsulate not only her own personal journey, but everyone’s experience of being a part of this show—whether you were behind the camera, in front of the camera, or watching it at home for these past few years. Hearing Lea sing this song was a really cathartic moment for me. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to the whole experience, and I really look forward to getting to share it with the world. I hope ‘This Time’ will resonate with as many people watching Glee as it did for me and those of us who had a hand in making it.” 

The song was revealed to be the final solo of Rachel Berry at the Paleyfest, an annual television festival hosted at the Paley Center in Los Angeles. The cast were present at the 2015 festival held March 13.  

Lea Michele, who plays ambitious diva Rachel Berry, shared, “I got to say everything to everyone here and everyone who will watch it that I wanted to say, but you can’t think of the words, and he wrote them.” 

“This Time” was the second song penned by Darren for Glee. His first one, “Rise,”was featured in the episode “The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester,” which aired March 6.

The two-part series finale, entitled “2009” and “Dreams Come True,” will air on Friday, March 20. Additionally, footage of late actor Cory Monteith will also be featured during the first hour of the finale. Cory, who played star quarterback Finn Hudson on the show, died in July 2013. – Rappler.com