Keedron Bryant confronts police brutality in music video for ‘I Just Wanna Live’

Marking the teenaged singer's major-label debut

Viral sensation Keedron Bryant has released the official music video for his breakout single, ‘I Just Wanna Live’.

The 13-year-old uploaded the a capella protest song to Instagram on May 27. The track, penned by Bryant’s mother and filmed on a smartphone, went viral following the death of George Floyd.

It was shared by the likes of Barack Obama, LeBron James, Janet Jackson and Lupita Nyong’o, and has now been viewed on Instagram, at the time of writing, over 3,541,797 times.

Bryant announced the release of the music video in a tweet yesterday (July 28), through his mother, Johnnetta Bryant, who manages his social media accounts.

The rousing video opens with a shot of the American flag, wet with blood, to the sound of children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Bryant can be seen kneeling before a police officer holding a gun at him, later singing as protestors clash with police. The end shot sees Bryant appear to deescalate the violent situation using just his words.

Watch the official video below:

The song was released as an official single on June 19 to coincide with Juneteenth, the annual commemoration day to mark the emancipation of slavery in the US. At the time, Bryant said he thought there was “still hope… that we can change the world.”

The young singer was then signed to Warner Records, with the label’s Chris Atlas speaking about how much the track “moved” him when he first heard it. “I was like, ‘Wow this is an amazing song,’” Atlas said.

“We should be a part of making sure the world hears this on a larger capacity but then also donate proceeds from the song to the right cause.

“That’s actually giving back and using music as a healing mechanism, which I truly believe it is.”

‘I Just Wanna Live’ is available to buy/stream now.

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