# Won't Be Around

"Won't Be Around" is a song by American singer-songwriter Terry Blade, released on January 6, 2023, as the lead single from his third studio album, Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper.

## Background and release

Blade released "Won't Be Around" on January 6, 2023. Blade described the song as being "about leaving an abusive relationship by having the will to speak it, the courage to do it, and the strength to never return to it."
The single aired on numerous NPR member stations, including WNRN-FM, KVNF, KWIT, WMKY, and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. It also aired and was playlisted on Apple Music 1's Proud Radio with Hunter Kelly. After receiving national radio airplay, the single appeared on New Music Weekly's Country Up & Coming Chart.
The single was nominated for Best Americana/Roots song at the inaugural 2023 Hollywood Independent Music Awards. It later won first place in the blues category of the 2023 American Songwriter Song Contest.
A month after its release, the song appeared on Blade's third studio album, Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper.

## Music video

Blade produced and directed the music video for "Won't Be Around", and released it on September 22, 2023. For the music video's logline, Blade wrote: "The music video follows three individuals who are descendants of African-American sharecroppers, and who confront the racial history of sharecropping in the American south by showing that black bodies can exist and subsist on land in the south without the exploitation of black labor."
In his Director's Statement for "Won't Be Around", Blade wrote:
   Sharecropping in the American South is captured in the video's rural/pastoral setting. The black suits worn by the performers represent racial blackness and the professionalism and dignity with which black American sharecroppers performed their work. Leaving the abusive relationship of sharecropping is shown by the performers not working the land, but defiantly standing/resting on it (looking directly at the viewer). In this way, the video illustrates that abusive relationships can take many forms, even economic and socioeconomic ones.
The music video received nominations for Best Music Video at the 14th Hollywood Music in Media Awards and the Regina International Film Festival and Awards. It won the awards for Social Justice and Hope, Best Fashion and Makeup, and Best Cinematography at the 7th Annual California Music Video Awards.
In 2024, the music video premiered as an official selection of the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival, Berlin Short Film Festival, and Vienna Independent Film Festival, and won the award for Best Music Video at all three film festivals. The music video also premiered as an official selection of the Castle Rock Film Festival, LA Shorts Fest, Midwest Film Festival New Media Film Festival, Northeast Film Festival, Prague Independent Film Festival, Thin Line Fest, and Tribeca Festival.

## Critical Reception

Ryan Cassata's Rock the Pigeon publication wrote: "The lyrics are raw and emotive, delving into themes of loss and love." Bee Delores of B-Sides & Badlands wrote: "Blade’s voice carries immense weight and pierces right through the heart. You can’t escape his power as a performer."
On January 4, 2023, Country Queer featured Won't Be Around as its Song of the Week. Christopher Treacy of Country Queer wrote: "The instrumentation lays low, allowing the arresting vocal to remain at the forefront of the mix. Blade is telling an excerpt from a larger story, here, so context is hard to pinpoint, making the narrative all the more compelling." He continued, "'Won’t Be Around' still oozes plenty of soul, though, and the sentiment could either be one of independence or abandonment, depending on perspective." Treacy added, "As an excerpt from a more linear storyline, 'Won’t Be Around' leaves us wondering about context: is he inhabiting a character, or is this a first person narrative?"

## Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2023 | American Songwriter | Blues (2023 Song Contest): Category Winner | Won't Be Around (Single) | Won |
| 2023 | Hollywood Independent Music Awards | Americana/Roots | Won't Be Around (Single) | Nominated |
| 2023 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Best Music Video (Independent) | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Bare Bones International Film Festival | Best Music Video USA | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Berlin Short Film Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Calcutta International Cult Films Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Cult Critic Movie Awards | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | California Music Video Awards | Best Cinematography in a Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | California Music Video Awards | Best Fashion and Makeup | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | California Music Video Awards | Social Justice and Hope Award | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | California Music Video Awards | Best Male Solo Artist | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | California Music Video Awards | Lyrics and Verse | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | California Music Video Awards | Best Inspirational | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Castle Rock Film Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | LA Shorts Fest | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Midwest Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | New Media Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Northeast Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Prague Independent Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Regina International Film Festival and Awards | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Summit Awards | Summit Creative Award: Video below $5000 (Gold) | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Summit Awards | Summit Creative Award: Direction/Editing (Silver) | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Tagore International Film Festival | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Thin Line Fest | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Tribeca Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Vienna Independent Film Festival | Best Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |
| 2024 | Vienna Independent Film Festival | Best Song | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Virgin Spring Cinefest | Music Video | Won't Be Around (Official Music Video) | Won |