Darrell Kelley perfectly meets our unique, challenging moment in history with “The Coronavirus”
- Written by Tom Estey
“The Coronavirus”
With the release of his powerful, no holds barred song “The Coronavirus,” Darrell Kelley perfectly meets our unique, challenging moment in history by addressing our strange new day to day reality and its attendant fears and social protocols.
Teaming with his producer/collaborator with his independent label Viral Records, LLC, the singer, songwriter and socially conscious musical Renaissance man creates an infectiously lilting yet emotionally impactful ballad that speaks harsh truths and important urgency directly to our hearts and minds. Over a deep bass driven, atmosphere laden backing track, Darrell uses his warm, reassuring and soul-penetrating vocals to address everything we are experiencing, feeling and freaking out about while hunkered down and listening to the news each day.
As the easy groove begins, his spoken word intro gets right to the point: “You know the coronavirus is spreading everywhere and we have to slow down the spread/So stay inside and don’t go out unless you have to – but let’s keep our senior citizens safe.” In just a few lines, he covers a world of concerns: “I’m scared right now because doctors don’t have the proper protection/If we don’t stop it, we are heading straight for another bad recession/How we gonna stop the spread if we can’t follow simple directions? As the song continues, Darrell addresses the reality of people dying, the importance of staying safe and of course the facts that “You have to wash your hands and you better not touch your face” and “You need to listen and avoid large crowds.”
“I wake up every day to the latest news about the virus,” Darrell says, “and I realize that many people are not listening to the authorities and doing what we’re supposed to do to stop the spread of the coronavirus. I wrote the song as a response to that, hoping people will listen to its message and the reality will sink in that this is life and death serious. It’s my way of sharing the reality that this is not something you can play around with, and that we all have to stick together and wait it out until we flatten the curve and find an ultimate solution. We all have to pay attention and focus on human lives so that we can beat this. It is my belief that we should help people not just in the U.S. but around the world. World leaders need to work together to stop the terrible spread.”
Since getting back to his first love of music and dropping his debut album Unity in 2018, Darrell has been an unstoppable creative and grooving force of nature. Fusing his passions for gospel, pop, dance and R&B with a deep-seated voice for social justice, the ultimate multi-tasker - singer, songwriter, spiritual leader, author, entrepreneur and activist – has created a powerful platform for a unique array of messages, ranging from drawing attention to key political issues and thoughtful spirituality to simply making the most of our lives and having a good time.
Prior to this new global era and the release of his song “The Corona Virus,” the Atlanta based artist had been promoting three new visually and musically compelling new videos showcasing the colorful, provocative and deeply soulful range of his artistry. Directed pointedly at the NRA’s ongoing attempts to block common sense gun laws and background checks, the searing R&B ballad “Because Of You” is a call to arms addressing the tragedy of gun violence in our schools. The track reached #13 on the Indie Worldwide chart.
“Get Wild Remix,” the title track from his 2019 album Get Wild which reached #4 on the Mediabase Activator Chart, is a spirited, synth driven club tune about getting out, hanging with friends and other cool folks and having a good time. Likewise, his sensual, easy grooving club tune “Turn It Up” features Darrell in another upscale lounge setting, hanging at the bar and partying with upscale female buds. In addition to Unity and Get Wild, Darrell released numerous popular singles and another full length album, Here Comes the Lesson.
In addition to his musical success, the Boston native is a successful entrepreneur, including opening the popular soul food restaurant Soul Delicious Grill and Buffet in Morrow, GA. Every year, he’s hosted an employee appreciation dinner concert that showcases local artists, and at each event, he took the stage to perform a new song he wrote. After several years of sharing his talents this way, culminating in his powerhouse gospel tune “A Storm Is Coming,” he realized he had enough material to create and market an electronic press kit (EPK).
Darrell’s gospel music is an outgrowth of his service as bishop of spiritual leader of The Pathway Gospel Ministry Church, which is founded on his growing, grass roots UWGEAM ministry. “The Book of UWGEAM,” which he published in 2016, explains the group’s focus on love, unity and respecting one another regardless of religion. UWGEAM stands for God of the Universe, God of the World, God of all gods, God of everything, and God of anything including me.
“I am praying during this time for the protection of everyone, those who believe in God and those who do not,” he says. “People may question their faith during times like these, but I say it’s a time to strengthen our collective faith and pray harder.”
Learn more at darrellkelleyofficial.com; news and updates facebook.com/darrellkelleysmusic. Watch his music, performance and commentary videos at youtube.com/user/latenightwithdarrell/featured.
Listen at soundcloud.com/user-792034936, or reverbnation.com/darrellkelley, and/or darrellkelley.bandcamp.com. You can follow him on Instagram at darrellkellyofficial.
