Alicia Keys condemns police violence in her new song, “Perfect Way to Die.”
Co-written and produced by Keys and Sebastian Kole, the song tells the story of a mother whose grieves for her child who was murdered as a result of police brutality and systemic racism.
“Simple walk to the corner store/Mama never thought she would be/Getting a call from the coroner,” she sings. “Said her sons been gunned down/Been gunned down.”
“Of course there is no perfect way to die. This phrase doesn’t even make sense but that’s what makes the title so powerful and heartbreaking because so many have died unjustly,” Keys said in a statement.
“It’s written from the point of view of the mother whose child has been murdered because of the system of racism that looks at Black life as unworthy,” she added. “We all know none of these innocent lives should have been taken due to the culture of police violence.”
“Perfect Way to Die” will appear on her upcoming seventh studio album, Alicia, which will arrive this fall.