Keedron Bryant

Born in Sicily, Italy on July 3, 2007, Keedron Bryant is an American singer who rose to fame with his passionate protest song “I Just Wanna Live”, which was written by his mother shortly after the killing of George Floyd. Born while his parents – Kendric and Johnetta Bryant - were stationed in Italy, Bryant grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He decided that he wanted to be a singer at the age of 7 and began performing in school musicals and at church. In 2019, a video of Bryant performing the song “Brand New Life” became a viral sensation on social media, leading to him winning the Gospel Choice Music Award for Youth Male Vocalist of the Year. In May 2020, Bryant then appeared on the fourth season of television variety special Little Big Shots. On May 25^th, the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota inspired a movement to stand up against police brutality. The following day, Keedron Bryant’s mom Johnetta wrote a protest song in response to Floyd’s death entitled “I Just Wanna Live”. She filmed him performing the song a cappella, and then posted the video to various social media platforms. The song became an even bigger viral sensation than “Brand New Life” and was praised by politicians, athletes, and celebrities. Bryant and his mother appeared on nearly every news program over the next week. Thanks to a reworked version of the song by producer Dem Jointz, Bryant signed to Warner Bros. Records and released the digital EP I Just Wanna Live in September 2020. The following month, he issued his second digital EP, the holiday-themed The Best Time of the Year. In January 2021, Bryant released the single “I Know I Been Changed”, a collaboration with Symba featuring Gary Clark, Jr.