'Gaining weight... I don't wanna wait': Former Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney releases COVID-19-themed rap song about life in lockdown - as she shares how music has helped her to overcome abuse by Larry Nassar
- McKayla, 24, who is based in Los Angeles, released the song earlier this month
- She teamed up with rapper JIG LeFrost on the two-minute-long track, which is available on Spotify and iTunes
- McKayla, who competed for the US Gymnastics team in London 2012, sings and raps during the song
- The former gymnast, who helped her team to claim gold in London, while also winning an individual silver medal on vault, is hoping to earn success as a singer
- McKayla has stayed out of the spotlight over the past two years, after revealing in April 2018 that she had been abused by pedophile doctor Larry Nassar
- In an interview with Dateline, she opened up about the horrifying abuse she suffered at the hands of the doctor, who is now serving time in jail
- McKayla opened up in her Spotify bio about how music has been a crutch for her, helping her to cope with the Nassar abuse, and the death of her father in 2018
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Former Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney has released a self-penned rap song about the coronavirus pandemic as she attempts to forge a new career as a musical artist.
The 24-year-old, who was one of five members of the US gymnastics team that claimed gold in London in 2012, released her track, COVID Lockdown, earlier this month, debuting the song on a number of music sites, including Spotify and iTunes.
'[To be honest] I wrote COVID Lockdown as a joke, but every time i listen to it, it makes me laugh, and i think we could all use a laugh right now,' Mckayla said while announcing the song's released on Instagram.
'New chapter': Former Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney is forging a new career as a singer, and has released one of her first tracks, a rap song about the COVID-19 pandemic
Lightening the mood: Entitled COVID Lockdown, the 24-year-old's song is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the stay-at-home order in Los Angeles, her hometown
'I love u guys [so much]!! Wish I had words to make things better. Hopefully music helps a little.'
During the song, which also features rapper JIG LeFrost, McKayla shows off her rap and singing talents, while sharing her thoughts about the coronavirus lockdown through the musical medium.
The track starts out with the sound of coughing, before McKayla begins rapping: 'Icing on the cake, gaining weight, COVID lockdown, I don’t wanna wait.
She continues with more complaints about living under LA's stay-at-home order, rapping: 'I don’t wanna stand six feet away, COVID lockdown, can’t see bae.'
McKayla then starts singing about her 'home studio' and her 'home gym', before touching on the financial impact of the pandemic.
'Got everyone selling their Rolex,' she sings. 'F**k all of my food is frozen. 2020 got cancelled.'
The former gymnast also sings about 'tight financials', before paying tribute to frontline healthcare workers, noting: 'Yeah these doctors got their hands full.'
McKayla's song received a slew of positive feedback from her Instagram followers, with one calling her 'a queen', while another chimed in: 'It’s so good.'
A third added: 'It’s a fun tune.'
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In the past: McKayla retired from gymnastics in 2015, after helping the US gymnastics team to claim the gold at the London 2012 Olympics
Taking time: The former gymnast has stayed largely out of the spotlight for the past two years, having spoken out in April 2018 about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar
Looking ahead: In her Spotify bio, McKayla opened up about how music has helped her to overcome the abuse that she faced at the hands of the 'monster doctor'
The song is McKayla's first move back into the spotlight in two years; the gymnastics champion has remained largely private since speaking out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of former national team doctor Larry Nassar in an emotional interview with Dateline in 2018.
While speaking to NBC's Savannah Guthrie, McKayla recalled one particularly terrifying incident when Nassar was on top of her while she was naked on a bed in a hotel in Tokyo in 2011.
Fight: McKayla spoke about her 'fight' to get Nassar jailed. In 2018, he was sentenced to 175 years in jail
'I was bawling, naked on a bed, him on top of me,' she said. 'I thought I was going to die.'
For two years prior to that evening, the Olympian believed the pelvic 'examinations' administered by the doctor were routine. But she shared that the night in Tokyo changed how she saw Nassar.
'I didn't feel like it was him anymore,' she said. 'It was this other thing that took over. The dark part of him.'
McKayla said she was molested hundreds of times by Nassar beginning when she was just 13.
'I at times question if my gymnastics career was really even worth it because of the stuff I'm dealing with now, because sometimes you're just left in the dust,' she added.
'You have to pick up the pieces of your life. That has been the hardest part for me, but it's always three steps forward, two steps back.'
In her bio on Spotify, McKayla opens up more about how music has helped her move on from the abuse - and from gymnastics as a whole - while also providing her with an emotional outlet after her father passed away at the start of 2019.
Viral fame: The budding musician became a national sensation when she made an 'unimpressed' face on the podium, after winning silver - not gold - in the vault event
Success! The 2012 US gymnastics team saw phenomenal success at the London Olympics, with the world nicknaming them the 'Fierce Five'
'Gymnastics was my first love,' she writes. 'It broke my heart having to move on, but thankfully music was there to catch my fall. No pun intended.'
McKayla recalled her official retirement from gymnastics in 2015 - a move that surprised some people who thought she might try to earn a spot on the 2016 team - explaining that she moved out of her family home and 'went off to pursue her new and improved dream'.
'Little did I know I was about to go through the bumpiest three years of my life,' she continued.
'In October of 2017 I spoke out, and joined the beloved Me Too movement. I didnt't talk about it much, but during this time I was really not well. I just wanted to pursue music, and become someone new, but I felt frozen in my old life.'
She revealed that she felt unable to escape the memories of Nassar's abuse - something that she was forced to re-live when she spoke out publicly against him in order to 'put the monster doctor in jail'.
'January 24th, 2018, Nassar, my doctor, was sentenced to 175 years in jail,' McKayla added, before noting that she believed 2019 was 'going to be an important year for her'.
'The kind of year you never forget. It was,' she wrote. 'January 13th, 2019, my dad Michael Maroney passed away. I could not catch a break you guys I swear.'
But, McKayla concluded that she finally feels positive about the future - and about her 'new chapter' in the music industry.
'I'm here now, and I'm finally ready,' she said. 'I have a long way to go till I reach my goals with music, but right now I'm honestly just enjoying the journey.'
