Respect
Is a two-minute protest poem written in 2021, voiced for a world learning to speak up.
Rooted in frustration with corruption and the denial of basic dignity, the piece explores how power distorts empathy; and how the smallest human need, dignity and the respect that follows, becomes revolutionary when denied.
It draws from the spirit of movements past and present; from the 2011 Jan Lokpal protests to today’s Gen Z uprisings across continents.
Respect is not a political manifesto but a philosophical one; a demand for the bare minimum from people and systems that have forgotten their humanity.
Behind the Song
Written in 2021, in my twenties, out of anger and helplessness in my home city of Hyderabad, Respect began as a personal outcry; a way to process what powerlessness felt like. Four years later, in 2025, while living in London and watching the world shift through new waves of protest and awakening, I revisited it.
This time, the intent was different: not just to write it, but to release it; to let others hear that same frustration, hope, and demand for dignity that still echoes today.
Credits
Artist:
Sharon Katta
Songwriter, Composer & Producer:
Sharon Katta
Mixing Engineer:
Samvardhan Singh
Mastering Engineer:
Natalie Bibby, at AIR Studios