This woman’s cover of Ed Sheeran is the only pride anthem you’ll need
A 20-year-old rapper and singer from Alabama has become an overnight sensation, after covering Ed Sheeran’s ‘The Shape of You’.
Chika, who lives in Montgomery in the US, put together the cover as a ‘pride anthem’, swapping the British singers’ lyrics for her own.
“Let me tell you ’bout pride, the struggle to survive, living everyday with our lovin’ under fire,” she sings.
“Questioning the ways that you self identify, but who you choose to date isn’t ever on your mind.
“But people so fascinated, they passive hating, they all repeat the rhetoric like a class they’re taking.”
Since posting a clip of the video on Twitter two days ago, it’s been retweeted more than 17,000 times and favourited almost 40,000 times.
Speaking to PinkNews the singer described her style as “versatile” and said she “likes to experiment”.
She added: “I think it’s super important to be proud of who you are, because you only have one life and you should love it for yourself.
“That goes for all forms of self-love, including sexuality.”
Chika, real name Jane Oranika, also confirmed she would be going to several pride parades – especially the one in her home city of Atlanta.
i turned @edsheeran‘s “Shape Of You” into a Pride Anthem. ♥️ Happy #PrideMonth. Never be ashamed of who you are. ?️?✊? pic.twitter.com/kAwdMfIQel
— chika (@oranicuhh) June 13, 2017
It’s not yet known if Ed himself as taken a look at the clip, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time.
Other pride anthems to have hit the headlines in recent years include Jennifer Lopez teaming up with Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda, in support of victims of the Orlando massacre.
In the song Miranda sings: “What we’ve got is love even when the sinners hate us/We cannot let them diminish or intimidate us.”
Lady Gaga has also been a keen supporter of pride musically, in 2013 giving an impassioned speech to New York Pride, before singing an altered version of the national anthem.
Despite the song going down well with the crowds, she later came under fire from a US congressman for defiling the song.
Speaking at the time, Allen West said: “She and all those who cheered her abomination should be ashamed and apologise to every serving and retired member of our Armed Services… But perhaps I ask too much…”
