MUSIC: Kaleena Zanders Releases Her New Single, “RELOAD”.

To give fans a taste of her upcoming EP, Exit/Us, queer singer/songwriter/producer Kaleena Zanders opted for the release of RELOAD.

The offering is accompanied by an animated music video, which was created by Name Basil and depicts a woman who is abruptly pulled over by the police. The video echoes a real-life ordeal Zanders experienced in 2009: after being stopped for riding her bicycle on the opposite side of the sidewalk, she was wrongfully detained and thrown into jail.

“I’m like, I guess this is how we people, this is how individuals feel when they haven’t done anything wrong, and are just sitting in jail for no reason,” says Zanders in an Out Front feature. “As the Black, gay, woman I am, I feel that weight. No matter how blessed I am, I never let my guard down.”

For two years, Zanders carried the trauma of that incident before turning her anxiety into a creative force. 

“The anxiety I feel has turned into my superpower. Anxiety has fueled compassion and love,” adds Zanders. “RELOAD is a call to action. A call, a plea … That with some love, and a bit of compassion, we can overcome this conditioned mind-state of hate we are in.”

Exit / Us is expected to be released in March 2021.