Ahead of the theatrical release of Till next week, Jazmine Sullivan has shared a new song, “Stand Up.” Featured on the movie’s soundtrack, “Stand Up” was inspired by Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmitt Till. The movie Till tells the story of how Mamie became one of the most prominent voices in the civil rights movement.
“You got a purpose / What is your reason? / What is you fightin’ for? / I see you searchin’/ It’s burnin’ inside / it’s somethin’ you can’t ignore / Yeah, everyone’s hurtin’ / but you gotta fight / Get up and keep forward / See, don’t back away with your hand up / ‘Cause somebody needs you to stand up,” Sullivan sings on the song’s chorus.
The song is written entirely by Sullivan and produced by D’Mile. In an interview with Pitchfork last year, Sullivan said that writing all of her own words is a therapeutic experience for her.
“It’s something that I would never give up,” she said. “It’s something so beautiful about getting it out. I remember when I was going through writer’s block [on this album], when I couldn’t say what I wanted to say, I was so sad and I felt like I was empty, and I realized that’s how I communicate: through my writing. So I have to do it.
Listen to “Stand Up” above.
Till arrives in theaters 10/14.