Usher has released a timely and powerful new track that he hopes will inspire and bring change.
On Friday (June 26), the 41-year-old singer, who protested alongside Trey Songz earlier this month and recently wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post about the importance of Juneteenth, released "I Cry" — a track that touches on racism, police brutality, and the mental anguish brought on by both.
"This song was inspired by wanting to teach my sons that it is ok for a man to feel emotions deeply and to cry," Usher shared on social media. "Like many men, I was raised to believe that we have to be 'tough' and not show our vulnerability, which I don’t want to teach them."
"While I was shut in during the pandemic and watching the death of George Floyd, the ongoing slaughter of Black men and women, the protests and the events that unfolded, I became very connected to the wider universal feeling of hopelessness," he continued. "Like many, I grew increasingly frustrated by how slow things have been to change. I became very depressed thinking about all the sons who have lost their fathers to police brutality, social injustice and violence; the daughters and mothers too. So I returned to this song and realized it was intended for this time, so I finished it and here it is."
Usher also announced that proceeds from "I Cry" will go toward the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a non-profit organization that supports Black and minority small business owners affected by the economic strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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