12-year-old singer of black anthem song signs record deal
NEW YORK » Keedron Bryant, the 12-yearold who turned heads on social media with his passionate performance about being a young black man in today’s world, has signed a deal with Warner Records, and his poignant song was officially released Friday.
Keedron Bryant’s powerful video, posted on May 26, features the lyrics “I’m a young black man doing all that I can” from the song “I Just Wanna Live,” written by his mother. Friday’s release of the track coincided with Juneteenth, the holiday to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.
“It’s very exciting because this is what God’s called me to do,” Keedron Bryant said in an interview with The Associated Press, adding that “it’s just been an exciting experience to work with my mom.”
Johnnetta Bryant, 38, said watching the video of George Floyd dying as a police officer pressed a knee on his neck “really hit my heart just so deeply because I am a mom to a black son. I have a black husband. I have black brothers, uncles, cousins, friends.”
So she said a prayer and asked God to send her a sign.
“I needed his wisdom. I went into prayer. He gave me those words so clearly,” Johnnetta Bryant said of writing the “I Just Wanna Live” lyrics. “I shared it with Keedron ... and I told him, ‘... I want you to take these words and I want you to pray over them. Meditate on them. Whenever you’re done with them, come out and we’ll record it.’ He did just that.”
The clip went viral, with Barack Obama, LeBron James, Janet Jackson, Lupita Nyong’o and more acknowledging its impact and importance.