Capping a years-long quest for a licensing deal with the local retailer, singer-songwriter Gretchen Walker will independently release her single “Wawa” and full-length video in a free online event featuring City Commissioner Omar Sabir at 3pm on Saturday, October 10th 2020.
“I really wrote it to sell tickets to a Wawa raffle basket at a nonprofit event,” says Walker, who performs with her first and middle names, Gretchen Elise. “But it’s a timeless song, my most popular song ever. Right now, it really is important for people to wake up and smell the coffee. Wake up and vote.”
Composed spontaneously in 2017 by Walker for a West Park Cultural Center fundraiser, the catchy Caribbean hook invites listeners to “wake up and jump.” The full-length video directed guerilla-style by Hezekiah (3Crates) combines jumps of Philadelphians of all ages – ice skaters, basement workers, family members – with jumps collected from fans as far away as Puerto Rico, Norway, and Congo. “I hope Wawa picks it up as their theme,” Walker shares. “And I hope it brings people joy, and they dance to the polls, or the mail-in drop box.”
The online, interactive release will be hosted by producer Magz.Fm with guests Hezekiah, a West Philly based producer. Doug Grigsby, who engineered and produced the track, is currently recovering from a massive stroke. “But we are hoping he feels the joy of his meticulous work being released,” shares Walker. Contributing artists will appear, as well as passersby who joined the video shoot.
Omar Sabir, City Commissioner, will join the event to share get-out-the-vote efforts, answer interactive questions from online attendees, and recruit poll workers. “It is imperative that every Philadelphian votes this November,” shares Sabir. “Our office is hard at work spreading awareness and reducing barriers to voting. I encourage you to apply for your mail in ballot now and return it early. We need you this November.”
The event will be broadcast 3pm Saturday October 10 at www.gretchenelise.com/wawa and live on her FB, IG, Tw and Youtube channels. On Oct 10 the video itself will be posted publicly to the same locations. The track will be available October 10 on BandCamp and all music streaming services.
Recent Comments