Teyana Taylor’s “Wake Up Love” comes at a time when I think we could all use a little bit more positivity in our lives. The tender single is accompanied by an even more tender video in which Taylor announces her second pregnancy, confirming that yes, she can in fact have it all.
The single is absolutely a family affair, featuring a rap track by her husband Iman Shumpert, as well as a cameo by her absolutely adorable 4-year-old daughter Junie who climbs into bed, and snuggles up against Taylor’s baby bump.
Taylor is not only a wife and mother, but she is also an accomplished choreographer and dancer who has worked with the likes of Kanye West and fellow female polymath Beyonce. Her serious pipes, which are showcased in this smooth and lovely R&B single are really just another facet in Taylor’s growing list of talents.
Just yesterday Taylor posted a clip of the video on her Instagram alongside a heartfelt caption on the types of realities that weigh on her every day as a black woman with a black man as a husband. “Though you are the love of my life, my king, my husband & an amazing father. YOU ARE STILL A BLACK MAN FIRST, before anything. And that’s the risk I take as you leave my side and walk out the door every single day. I could have lost you yesterday. I could lose you today. I could lose you tomorrow.”
With this sentiment in mind, this video isn’t just a lovely showcase of domestic life, snuggling atop a pristine bedsheet, is also a form of protest in itself. A message saying that black people also deserve to feel safe and feel loved at home with their families, and the type of racial violence they experience every day puts that reality in jeopardy.
She closes out her caption with a hopeful message: “I have a King to uphold and Queens to raise.” And there’s a lot of power in that too.