Idris Elba launches campaign tackling youth violence, shares single, ‘Knives Down’: Watch

Idris Elba’s latest musical project is imploring the UK government and private technology companies to step up in preventing youth violence. 

The Don’t Stop Your Future campaign launched Monday, 8th January, to coincide with Parliament opening for the new year. It aims to have Parliament put its promise to ban “zombie knives” and machetes into action, invent in youth programmes and services and create a coalition focused on ending knife crime that reaches across parties and organisations. 

“We need to give young people more of a reason not to carry a weapon in the first place”, Elba said in an interview with the Guardian. “That means investing in the services that address the root causes of violent crime.”

“It’s not going to happen overnight”, he said. “But there is a 10-year-old, that we can intervene in their life between now and 17, 18, 19 with what we think about today. There is that person and we should go for it.”

To support the project, Elba has released the ‘Knives Down’ single, featuring DB Maz and production by Fraser T Smith and FaNaTiX. The music video, directed by MD Films and filmed in the House of Commons, includes families of knife crime victims and shares their personal stories. 

Elba announced his decision to focus more on electronic music than acting in early 2022. He’s since released tracks like ‘Biggest‘ and ‘It’s Ours‘ with Artbat and David Guetta. He also held residencies at Hï Ibiza during summer seasons on the White Isle. 

Learn more about Don’t Stop Your Future here, and watch the video for ‘Knives Down’ below.