JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Professional football is back Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Houston Texans for the first game of the season.
A familiar Jacksonville teen will be headlining the halftime show with his now-viral song, “I Just Wanna Live.”
The song, performed by Keedron Bryant, 13, was written by his mother Johnetta in May, following the death of George Floyd.
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Since then, the song has been viewed more than 4 million times.
Life is very different for Keedron since that video was first shared.
“It’s been kind of a whirlwind," the teen told News4Jax. "It’s definitely changed my life since May.”
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In the four months since the video was posted, Keedron received a recording contract with Warner Records, was personally recognized by former President Barack Obama and performed the National Anthem for NASCAR’s Cup series race.
“...And another one would probably be when I got to go to Dr. Dre’s house and perform ‘I Just Wanna Live.’”
He said he was surprised by the tremendous response to the song, but he understands why it resonates with so many people.
“I was really surprised when it went viral, but I also knew this is a really powerful message that I need to keep spreading and spreading," Keedron said.
The two teams are set to kick off at 8:20 p.m. Thursday. Keedron’s performance was recorded in Los Angeles last week and will be played at halftime.