Detroit Youth Choir 'glory' - Featuring Indigoyaj - Lyrics May 2026

The Detroit Youth Choir’s (DYC) reimagined version of —the Oscar-winning anthem from the film Selma —is more than a cover; it is a localized, urgent call for justice released in the summer of 2020. Featuring IndigoYaj (Jayla Smalls), a former DYC member, the track was created to give Detroit’s youth a platform to process the dual traumas of systemic racism and the COVID-19 pandemic. 🎤 The Feature: IndigoYaj

The track was dedicated to the late Civil Rights leader John Lewis and was even considered for a Grammy nomination in 2020.

While the choir maintains the iconic chorus originally written by John Legend and Common , IndigoYaj’s rap interludes introduce new, localized urgency: Detroit Youth Choir 'Glory' - featuring IndigoYaj - lyrics

"Now the war is not over / Victory isn't won / We'll fight on to the finish".

The production was a massive community effort, filmed at iconic landmarks like the Spirit of Detroit monument and Michigan Central Station during the height of social distancing. The Detroit Youth Choir’s (DYC) reimagined version of

If you'd like to dive deeper into the history, I can provide: Their journey on America's Got Talent

A special edition was later released featuring rapper Kid Jay (Jason O'Banner Jr.), who won a Stellar Award for his work on the track. While the choir maintains the iconic chorus originally

"Fists up, it's time to come together on our own street".