Leon Bridges debuted a mellow new song, Sweeter, which reflects on racism from the perspective of a black man taking his last breath.
Bridges shared the new song, which features fellow singer Terrace Martin, on Instagram. He also described his personal experience with racism as an adolescent.
“Growing up in Texas I have personally experienced racism, my friends have experienced racism. From adolescence, they teach us how to conduct ourselves when we encounter police to avoid the consequences of racially profiling,” Bridges said.
“I have been numb for too long, calloused when it came to the issues of police brutality,” he continued. “The death of George Floyd was the straw that broke the camels back for me.”
Listen to the song below:
“It was the first time I wept for a man I never met,” he added. “I am George Floyd, my brothers are George Floyd, and my sisters are George Floyd.
He proclaimed, “I cannot and will not be silent any longer.”
Bridges is not the first to release a song in reaction to the racial police killings in America. Gospel singer BeBe Winans and the 12-year-old Black Lives Matter protest singer Keedron Bryant both released songs about racial injustice.
George Floyd died May 25 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.