Nationwide — A 60-year old father who calls himself The Undiscovered Artist has penned a powerful, but controversial tune about the Coronavirus after his 39-year old son was denied a test. It is called the “Coronavirus Song (The Rona Song)” and it creatively represents a voice that most in the Black community can easily resonate with as reports continue to reveal that many African Americans are being denied tests, and thus are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates.
The Undiscovered Artist, whose real name is Irvin Lee, is from the Washington DC area. He says a personal experience motivated him to write, produce and sing the song; His own son began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, was admitted to the hospital, but was told that he did not qualify for a test.
Lee comments, “It was very scary. My son was experiencing shortness of breath and other symptoms, and immediately began self-isolating himself to try and protect his family. But when he went to the Emergency Room to try and get a diagnosis, they told him that he didn’t qualify for a test even though he has health insurance.”
“This angered me,” Lee says. But thankfully his son turned out to be okay. The whole experience, however, inspired him to create a song that others with similar experiences would be able to relate to.
The song, which took him just two weeks to finish, is a voice that millions in the Black community can resonate with. It speaks to the confusion, frustration, and disappointment that many are feeling as local and national data slowly reveals that not only are African Americans more likely to die from Coronavirus, but many of them are being denied testing.
“I had to write a song to capture this,” Lee says. “My style of writing is heavily influenced by artists like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye who, during their time, created music about the struggles and injustices that many people had to deal with.”
Officially called the “Coronavirus Song (The Rona Song)” by The Undiscovered Artist, the song can be heard online at CoronavirusSong.com and can be streamed on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Google Music Play, and more.
Lee says that he will donate a portion of the proceeds to families affected by COVID-19. He is also using the song as the perfect opportunity to kick off his very own independent record label called Music U Can Feel, which promises to release more compelling songs about serious topics.
Watch the song’s music video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/AsTKSkTPTtQ
Yes, African Americans really are being denied tests… and are dying as a result!
#1 – According to NBC News, 63-year old Deborah Gatewood from Detroit, Michigan was a healthcare worker who was denied a test three times from the very hospital where she worked. Sadly, she passed away from the virus just two weeks later.
#2 – 25-year old Bassey Offiong, according to Detroit News, was a college student at Western Michigan University. He was denied a test multiple times, and consequently died fighting the virus just a few weeks before he was set to graduate.
#3 – According to USA Today, 56-year old Gary Fowler “begged” for a test but was turned away multiple times. He later died at home.
#4 – The Guardian reports that Kayla Williams, a 36-year old single mother of 3 from London, also died from the virus just a day after she called emergency services and was told that she could not be admitted to a hospital because she was not a “priority”.
#5 – Most recently, CBS News has confirmed that 30-year old Rana Zoe Mungin, a 30-year old social studies teacher from Brooklyn, New York, was rushed to the hospital 3 times and denied a test each time. She later died after being on life support for about a month.
TONY TOKUNBO ETEKA FERNANDEZ 