Miguel sings tribute to George Floyd while emulating handcuffed position
Miguel has performed a moving tribute to George Floyd by singing a song while copying the arrested position Floyd was seen to be held in on camera.
The pop star performed ‘Candles In The Sun’ from his 2012 album ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’, which speaks out on the injustice experienced by minorities.
Towards the end of the song, which was hosted by BeApp for #CokeStudioSessions, Miguel drops onto his front and hold his hands behind his back as if to mimic being in handcuffs.
This is how @Miguel ended his virtual concert tonight. So powerful! May we all be strong, may we all be brave!#RIPGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter#CokeStudioSessions#BeApp pic.twitter.com/tXpRXb8wrZ
— Kyra Barker (@TheKyraBarker) May 29, 2020
The image was interpreted by many to be a comment about Floyd, a 46-year-old man who died in Minneapolis on May 25. A video circulated on social media appears to show a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck during his arrest. The unarmed African American later died. A white officer called Derek Chauvin was sacked and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Miguel wrote on Friday alongside a snippet of the virtual performance: “Officer Chauvin has been arrested . Now, we want ALL the rest of the officers involved arrested. AND convicted. CALL 6123244499 (via @shaunking and @grassrootslaw).”
Some of the lyrics to ‘Candles In The Sun’ read: “Hey, I say we’re all created equal/ That’s what they teach us/ But that ain’t how we treat each other/ Naw, that ain’t how we treat each other/ Shit, the truth is that we need each other, yea.”
Numerous other musicians have spoken out against the killing of Floyd and have lent their voices in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, including Rihanna, Dr Dre and Lady Gaga See NME’s up-to-date list here.
Protests are expected to continue today (May 31) across major cities in the US including Minneapolis, Atlanta, New York and LA.
