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Leigh Nash wants to have an honest conversation about race in America.
The lead singer of pop group Sixpence None the Richer wrote her new single "Good Trouble" after witnessing America's reckoning with racism this summer with Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country that demanded an end to police brutality.
The "Kiss Me" singer teamed up with Grammy-nominated songwriter Ruby Amanfu and Matt Maher to create and sing this vulnerable ballad that is inspired by the late civil rights activist John Lewis, who died last July.
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"Over the last year, as a nation, we had a front-row seat to some absolutely appalling events that shone a light into a very dark corner," Nash, 44, tells PEOPLE. "Racism is alive and kicking. In prayer and sorrow and quiet contemplation, God was relentless with the idea that a song could be made of the 'Good Trouble' John Lewis spoke about."
Amanfu shares that less than an hour after she heard Nash's song, she immediately sent back the demo with her own verse because of her personal connection to its meaning.
"When Leigh Nash reached out to ask me to join her and Matt Maher in co-writing 'Good Trouble' with them, it felt like a hand reaching out to hold mine," says Amanfu. "Writing the second verse, I wanted to share my perspective, innermost feelings and the struggles I face walking around every day in a body with brown skin."
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Amanfu is a Nashville-based singer who co-wrote Grammy-nominated songs "Hard Place" and "Fate" performed by H.E.R. and her vocals also appear on Beyoncé's track "Don't Hurt Yourself" on the Grammy-nominated album, Lemonade.
"Allyship is so important to me and I believe that it is necessary now more than ever," says Amanfu, 41. "It's time to speak up boldly as now-saints such as Representative John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and many, many others have paved the way for us to do so."
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Nash shares that she is "forever thankful" to Amanfu and Maher for their help on "Good Trouble."
"When the day came to write the song, Matt Maher and Ruby Amanfu met the moment with clarity and brilliance," says Nash. "I will be forever thankful and in awe, when prayers turn into feet."
While Nash's voice can be heard on past pop anthems like hit song "There She Goes," this emotional song will be the first of several collaborations that Nash will be releasing throughout 2021.
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