I Just Want to Live

Lorine Chia’s “I Just Want to Live” is a poignant song about the police brutality that is happening in America.

The music video is a sombre, black-and-white animation, although it does feature some colour. The police car’s flashing lights, the bouquet of flowers left at a vigil and even the shade of lipstick worn by the female protagonist (Lorine Chia) all appear in either red or blue.

In the video it cuts to a young, black man who is running away from a police car. When the vehicle catches up with him, the police officer gets out of the car to confront the man. His gun is drawn. The man holds up both hands but the officer shows no mercy and shoots him. Falling to the ground, one can only assume that the man has been seriously injured or is dead. But why did the officer fire his weapon? Was it an act of self-defense? Did the other man have a weapon too? Sadly, this scene is not too dissimilar from some of the cases that have been recently reported on the news.

In the chorus, Lorine Chia sings the line, “I just want to live” which sounds like it is a plea to the law-enforcers who are harshly targeting people for just living their ordinary lives. When was it a crime to hang out with friends or to buy something from a shop?

Please check out Lorine Chia’s other tracks such as, “Fly High“, “Lost in my Mind” and “Eve’s Perspective.”

Quote from Lorine Chia, “As Nina Simone once said it is our duty as artists to reflect the times. I saw the “State of Grace” video by Talib Kweli and instantly got inspired. I knew Dreambear was the team to help me with this one. Dani is an such amazing artist. I wanted to showcase our present times. I live in constant fear that I or someone close to me could be the next victim of police brutality or racial profiling and all I want to do is just live.” 

 

Lorine Chia