Lady Gaga’s new album includes a track paying tribute to Trayvon Martin, the African-American teen whose 2012 death launched th Black Lives Matter movement.
MTV News described “Angel Down”, the track in question, as “one of the most moving songs” on the new album.
Lady Gaga characterized the song as a protest against “the epidemic of young African-Americans being murdered in this country.”
In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 radio show, Gaga said that the “chaos in America” this year, especially due to the tumultuous political situation, was the source of a lot of her inspiration for the album.
While “Angel Down” is not specific to any particular incident, Gaga said that she wrote the song specifically with Martin in mind. The lyrics of the ballad read “Shots were fired on the street/ By the church where we used to meet.”
In the interview, the artist is critical of the American justice system, who she says is failing to “seek justice for these families.”
The pop sensation reported that she was initially uncomfortable with singing about the subject, due to her status as a white woman, but that she decided to do so after talking to her fans. She described her feelings about the song’s subject matter: “how can I not say something?” How could I possibly make an album about twerking my a– in the club?… In my mind, I can’t reckon it. It feels empty. It feels irrelevant.”
The album “Joanne” was released Friday.