From her latest EP Dreamseeker, Oakland-born R&B/soul songstress Goapele gives an acoustic performance of the single “Stand” exclusively to Nylon. The song touches on social injustices; she was first inspired to write it by the senseless murder of Oscar Grant by the BART police in her hometown of Oakland.
“It’s such a common story of how many African-American youth have been affected by police brutality or whose lives have been taken away,” she told Nylon. “I really felt like, at this time now where racism is almost publicly accepted, and immigrants are being attacked, and women’s rights are being taken away, it was time to finally put out this song and just say you know, what’s my responsibility?”
Listen to Goapele’s socially-aware serenade below:
