As the urgency of the BLM movement seems to fade into the background with the passing of the election and the ongoing holiday season, Jakey Heartbreak reminds us that now is not the time to forget. Rather, it is the time to keep this important issue in the forefront of our minds. 

In his new single, “George Floyd (Remember My Name),” Jakey Heartbreak takes a head-on approach that brings us straight back to the midst of the movement — with a powerful message and heavy musical impact.

“I wanted it to be a strong and direct message. This wasn’t a time to be poetic. It was a time to be angry,” he said. “The song is meant to make you feel a little uncomfortable, but also fired up.”

As 2020 draws to a close, the well-traveled rock musician released the single as a way to continue the dialogue about one of the year’s watershed moments.

“I’m glad (the single is) coming out months after the tragedy took place, because as much as I would have liked it to be an anthem in the moment, I also didn’t want it to feel like I was trying to capitalize on that moment,” he explained. “It’s coming out at a time now, where many people may have started to forget; when it feels like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel of this pandemic, and we might start returning to some semblance of normalcy. I hope this is a strong reminder that there is still work we must continue to do.”

That work is important for a society yearning for understanding, and one which reached a boiling point just a few short months ago, for a number of sociopolitical and health reasons.

 “There was the right combination of chemicals mixing in our country simultaneously to form a societal molotov cocktail. Everyone was under such distress on a mass scale and tensions were building nationwide,” Heartbreak recalled. “(George Floyd’s death) felt like one of those moments where everyone was ready to burst, and that one spark set the whole thing off. The timing of it couldn’t have been worse — but, I think that’s what made it so prolific . It forced everyone to really take a good, hard look at what has been going on in this country, and finally take action to make real, lasting change.”

Like so many of us, Heartbreak felt the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, and sought ways he could get involved and make a difference. However, he struggled with being quarantined in a remote location, far from the action.

“I woke up one morning and saw that Tom Morello posted on Instagram, encouraging every songwriter to use their abilities to make a statement about what had taken place,” he said. “That’s when it clicked, and I realized I could contribute to the conversation in my own way, even if I couldn’t be with my friends who were taking to the streets in protest.”

That’s when the song idea was born. Heartbreak was so inspired by the call-to-action that he wrote and demoed the entire track before the day was over. Fueled by the magnitude of the tragedy and the ensuing energy, “George Floyd (Remember My Name)” serves as a road sign, redirecting us back onto the path of positive change.  

Restoke your own energy surrounding the BLM movement by listening to “George Floyd (Remember My Name)” below. And, we encourage you to buy from POC-owned businesses this holiday season. 

Follow Jakey Heartbreak: Website / Facebook / Instagram

Websites listing local POC-owned businesses for your holiday shopping:
BlackOwnedNashville.com
Urbaanite Nashville: Black Owned Businesses In Nashville
House Beautiful: Black Owned Etsy Shops

Please comment below to add more suggestions to the list!