Be Afraid (song)

## Be Afraid

"**Be Afraid**" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kyle Pfeiffer, under his stage name Blacklite District. It was released on June 4, 2021, through AK19 Entertainment, Pfeiffer's independent record label. "Be Afraid" is the lead single from his album *You're Welcome (Deluxe Edition)* (2021).

An alternative rock track, "Be Afraid" was inspired by Pfeiffer's personal experiences and his roots in rock music. Rainimator used the song in his *Minecraft* animation of the same name, which was released on June 23, 2021 as part of an ongoing collaboration between the two YouTubers. The song was played on two radio stations in the United States.

## Lyrics

[Verse]
I convinced myself that I was bulletproof
Screamed for help but no one ever heard the truth
Loneliness inside, I wait for paradise
But it never came, I sat here paralyzed

[Pre-Chorus]
Run away, sail away
Be afraid, be afraid

[Chorus]
I, I will drown you out
I will hear no sound
I will not be found

[Verse]
I convinced myself that I was bulletproof
Screamed for help but no one ever heard the truth
Loneliness inside, I wait for paradise
But it never came, I sat here paralyzed

[Pre-Chorus]
Run away, sail away
Be afraid, be afraid

[Chorus]
I, I will drown you out
I will hear no sound
I will not be found
I, I will drown you out
I will hear no sound
I will not be found

## Background and composition

Kyle Pfeiffer performed both the acoustics and the vocals of "Be Afraid". According to an interview for *Outburn Magazine*, the song represented the 'first step of going back to [his] rock roots' in his earlier albums and 'another song written in rehab' at the beginning of 2021. There really is such a vibe with this song, especially being in recovery.' The song features 'acoustic guitar strumming' and instrumentals of hard acoustic rock.

The 'steely vocals' and lyrics describe the speaker convincing himself that he was 'bulletproof'. 'Waiting for [a] paradise' that never came, he was left sitting 'paralyzed' and lonely, before telling himself to "Run away / Sail away / Be afraid". Pffeifer explained that, "I used to be convinced I was bulletproof in terms of drugs, relationships, etc., and this song basically brings me back down to reality. I have to tell myself to ‘Be Afraid,’ and that’s the scariest thing of all”, referencing the prechorus.

## Release

"Be Afraid" exclusively premiered on *Outburn Magazine* on June 2, 2021.

"Be Afraid" was officially released on June 4, 2021, and was released on major online streaming platforms five hours later. It is the lead single from Blacklite District's album *You're Welcome (Deluxe Edition)* (2021), an updated version of his previous album *You're Welcome* (2020) which featured ten additional tracks. "Be Afraid" was also played for the weekend after its premiere on the radio station SiriusXM's *The Pulse* and afterwards overwhelmingly voted on 104.9 *The X* by fans.

### Music video

The official music video for "Be Afraid" was released on YouTube on June 4, 2021, and features Kyle Pfeiffer performing the song on his guitar at a park. The music video was directed by DZFX Media. Filming in Orange County, California commenced on May 6, 2021.

## Reception

Anurag Tagat and David Britto of *Rolling Stone India* included "Be Afraid" in their June 2021 Global Artists Spotlight, saying that with "introspective lyrics, heavy use of acoustic guitar strumming, intricate production elements as well as the artist’s steely vocals, the track is quite the banger". In an interview with Pfeiffer, *Outburn Magazine* concludes that, thematically, Blacklite District "continues to be a spark of hope [to those] going through tough times".

The music video currently has 577K views and hit over 100K views in the first ten days. The *Minecraft* animation has 4.3M views and reached #21 on trending in the United States, with 211K views in the first several hours.

## External links

* Spotify
* YouTube Music
* Apple Music
* SoundCloud
* Deezer

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Exclusive Premiere: The New Single “Be Afraid” by BLACKLITE DISTRICT. *Outburn*. June 2, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1404130350998056960
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1407045672155631618
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tagat, Anurag; Britto, David (June 21, 2021). "Global Artists Spotlight: Johari Noelle, B. Bravo, Lexi Mariah And More". *Rolling Stone India*. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1403536040397213704
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1421537497276817410
7. ↑ Lou (June 4, 2021). "HIT IT OR QUIT IT BLACKLITE DISTRICT – BE AFRAID". *WXRX*. Rockford, Illinois. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
8. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1400892043790983172
9. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1390185925049655299
10. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1404179377517064193
11. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1407805205501120515
12. ↑ https://twitter.com/OfficialBLD/status/1407746483722461184