"Quiet" is a feminist anthem co-written, co-produced, and performed by Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter MILCK. It received national attention after she organized a capella performances of the song at the 2017 Women's March in Washington D.C., after which she made the sheet music publicly available and organized further activity around the song.
| "Quiet" | |
|---|---|
| Song by MILCK | |
| Published | MILCK |
| Released | 2017 |
MILCK wrote "Quiet" with her co-writer Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez in 2015.[1][2] While the song draws on the artist’s adolescent experiences of domestic violence, depression, and anorexia, it was inspired by “a nightmare in which she was being assaulted and a bystander in her dream told her she just had to stay quiet until it was over.”[3][4] The lyrical structure of the song breaks with the most common pop music song structure, taking the form of verse, pre-chorus, chorus, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus.
MILCK organized 26 singers from various choirs around the U.S. into the #ICANTKEEPQUIET chorus, to perform an a cappella version of her song flash mob style during the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C.[1] One performance with the singers from the GW Sirens & Capital Blend went viral on the internet; MILCK was praised for having authored the “unofficial anthem” of the Women’s March.[1][5] Within a week, MILCK and other performers reprised the Women's March version on the television show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.[6]
In response to the attention given to "Quiet" as a result of the Women's March, MILCK publicized the song on Twitter using the hashtag #ICANTKEEPQUIET. This was intended to allow people to share their stories and access the sheet music for the a cappella version for free, so that they could create their own #ICANTKEEPQUIET choirs.[1]