West Philadelphia: Capping a years-long quest for a licensing deal with the local retailer, singer-songwriter Gretchen Walker will independently release her single “Wawa” and full-length video in a free online event 3pm on Saturday, October 10th 2020. 

“It’s a timeless song that everyone loves,” says Walker, who performs with her first and middle names, Gretchen Elise. “I really wrote this about my love of coffee and my Philly loyalty to Wawa. But how can releasing this video be relevant to this point in time? Right now, it really is important for people to wake up and smell the coffee. Wake up and vote.”

The online, interactive release will be hosted by producer Magz.Fm with guests Hezekiah III of 3Crates, video director; Doug Grigsby, bassist and producer; and Naeemah Maddox, vocalist. Omar Sabir, City Commissioner, will share get-out-the-vote efforts and answer questions from attendees about how exactly they can get their vote counted. 

Composed spontaneously in 2017 to promote ticket sales of a Wawa raffle basket during her band’s performance at a fundraiser for West Park Cultural Center, Gretchen Elise’s catchy Caribbean beat invites audience members to “wake up and jump” during the hook. The video combines jumps of Philadelphians of all ages - ice skaters, basement workers, family members - with jumps collected from fans as far away as Puerto Rico, Norway, and Congo. “I hope this song brings everyone joy. I hope Wawa picks it up as their theme,” Walker shares. “And I hope then they dance to the polls, or the mail-in drop box.”