To the uninformed, a song being motivation to get better might seems cliched, but Kurt Riley says he owes a lot to recording artiste Chevaughn and the track Wake Up and Live(formerly titled Breath of Life) for him making it to 2021.
“The title of the song was changed because of the situation; it was recorded around August and Chevaughn was adamant that we finish it, that is me and (producer) Frankie Music, just to have it, not necessarily to release it same time,” said Riley, who became hospitalised a couple of months later.
As he battled illness, the disc jockey/producer and owner of the Jambian Music imprint, requested the song be sent to him. Upon hearing the final mix of the song, he said, “It was like hearing it for the first time. Looking at the state I was in – it helped me out of a dark place.”
MENTAL STRENGTH
Riley continued: “That was when I developed some level of mental strength to start moving my arms and actually attempt to get out of the hospital bed. Before, you could say I had given up, there was no will to try and have some sort of mobility but the lyrics, ‘ life is a treasure, no man can measure, life’s gon’ get better, get up yeah, wake up and live’, literally grab me up.”
He said the lyrics could make a grown man cry, which Riley did.
The single, slated for release on Friday, would be the first song that both Riley and Chevaughn would be dropping for 2021.
“It is one of those songs that will give people a hand when there is no hand, that added boost when it seems like there is nothing to make you move or encourage you out of your darkness. And darkness is relative. It could be that you lost a job, a child or someone close and something dear to you,” Riley told THE STAR.
Chevaughn pointed out that, “the song couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.”
“I remember laughing to myself and saying to Frankie after me and this man [Kurt] don’t hold no conversation for two years because of a misunderstanding, the first thing I write is this,” the singer shared. “Two weeks before I heard the rhythm, there was a live show that we were both in attendance and that is when we spoke, and cleared it up. I happened to follow Jesse Royal to the studio and upon hearing the instrumentals I was taken back to my own emotional battles.”
