Finneas performs 'What They'll Say About Us,' inspired by Nick Cordero, BLM protests

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Finneas says his song "What They'll Say About Us" is inspired by late actor Nick Cordero and the Black Lives Matter protests.

The 23-year-old singer-songwriter and music producer discussed the inspiration behind the single during Monday's episode of Good Morning America.

Finneas said he wrote "What They'll Say About Us" during Cordero's health battle and the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.

"I was attending the Los Angeles Black Lives Matter Justice for George Floyd protests with my girlfriend the first week of June, I believe," he said. "I was coming home everyday and immediately checking my phone to see how Nick Cordero was doing."

Cordero, a Broadway actor, died at age 41 in July after battling complications from COVID-19 for months. His wife, Amanda Kloots, had shared updates throughout his journey on Instagram.

"I started following his journey of battling COVID-19," Finneas said. "That was kind of the divide of my attention at that period was this kind of inspiring feeling... I mean, you know the feeling of going to a protest, I'm sure. You feel like you're surrounded by people who share the same ideals as you. It can make you feel very hopeful."

Finneas then performed "What They'll Say About Us" on GMA.

Finneas released "What They'll Say About Us" and a music video for the song in September. He discussed the song in an interview with WSJ. Magazine the same month.

"I kind of wrote this song as if you were singing to your loved one who was in a hospital bed while the world was protesting outside. I did make a point to keep the song fairly ambiguous because I know everybody's sort of going through different circumstances of the same things right now," he said.

Finneas, the brother of singer Billie Eilish, released his debut EP, Blood Harmony, in 2019. He and Eilish are both nominated for awards at the 2021 Grammy Awards, which were recently rescheduled for March 14.