BAHRAIN-based singer-songwriter Ashwin Shenoy has released a song in response to the viral video depicting the final moments of George Floyd’s life and the demonstrations and riots it has incited in the US and around the world.
The song, titled I Can’t Breathe, has been played more than 3,000 times on Instagram.
It was uploaded three days after the dramatic video of the incident started circulating on social media, in which Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was seen restraining and kneeling on African American US citizen Mr Floyd’s neck until he was unresponsive after crying out those poignant words.
“Floyd’s last words, especially when he also said ‘Momma’, moved me to tears, unlike most other news that I have gotten used to seeing,” said Mr Shenoy, 26, who performs under his hip-hop/R&B alter-ego Xenai.
Mr Shenoy
“I had heard stories from my dance instructor in university, who is of African American descent, about being persecuted and overlooked because of the colour of his skin. After watching this, I couldn’t sleep all night.
“I learned more about Floyd and all he had done to contribute to his community. As I played the video over and over in my mind, the song just started taking shape and needed to flow out. I wrote the lyrics within 10 minutes but it took me a whole day to get the emotion just right for the recording.
“Right now, lots of people in the US are scared and angry and this single is my way of reacting to that.”
The former St Christopher’s School pupil studied music performance and production at the US Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachussetts.
He returned to Bahrain after completing his education to continue creating music full-time and won the Emerging Talent Competition at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix’s music festival Yasalam in 2019.
The cover art
Mr Floyd’s death continues to spark huge protests against racism and the police killings of black Americans.
The vast majority of demonstrations over the past days have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed in a number of cities.
New charges were recently announced against all of the sacked police officers present at the time of the incident.
The charge against former officer Chauvin has been elevated to second-degree murder, court documents show.
The other three men, previously uncharged, face counts of aiding and abetting murder.
- ‘I Can’t Breathe’ is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
Check out @Xenaimuzik on Instagram and listen to the track by placing your phone over the QR code.
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