“Rise Up”

She didn’t feel like getting out of bed. For a while, that was the story. Not some big crisis. Not some dramatic fall. Just a slow silent heaviness. Andra Day was stuck. Worn down. Not just tired but tired-tired. The kind that doesn’t lift with sleep. She said she had lost her voice. Literally and spiritually. The singing that used to carry her was gone. The purpose that used to burn inside her had gone quiet.

She was journaling one morning. Scribbling whatever came. No filter. Just trying to stay human. Somewhere in the middle of that mess a line came. All we need is hope and for that we have each other. It wasn’t grand. It was soft. But it was enough. She took it to the piano. Her producer sat beside her and what came out wasn’t a performance. It was a prayer. Or maybe a promise. I’ll rise up. Even if the ache is still there. Even if I don’t want to. The song was never meant to be a hit. It was meant to be true. And that’s exactly why it still lifts people off the floor. One quiet note at a time.

Photo: Warner Music