Giants tight end Darren Waller releases a video for a new personal song

Darren Waller is still the tight end for the New York Giants, but he’s also a recording artist.

Waller released the video for his new single, “Who Knew (Her Perspective)” via his YouTube channel Thursday afternoon.

As a member of the BBV staff who has studied music, it is my responsibility to report on Waller’s foray into music.

And unlike almost everyone else, I’m not going to tear him apart for his effort. I’m not saying I’ll ever make something like that, or even that music is what I listen to during my typical day.

It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable enough to get on stage and perform, record yourself, or bare your soul in a piece of music. I’ve been there, and it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done.

As a person whose musical tastes range from Archenemy to Airship to VivaldiI can never offend someone because of what they say to them. Music and art are the way we talk to each other, that is, communicate our thoughts, feelings and beliefs that do not fit properly into words.

Waller is clearly trying to say something, or deal with his own feelings, in his song.

Here, at Big Blue View and in the Giants fanbase in general, we’re mostly concerned about whether or not he’ll retire from the NFL. And (don’t try to analyze it), that’s probably part of it.

There’s clearly a theme to the song on a surface level: a young man going through a breakup. The inspiration for this is pretty clear – Waller was recently divorced WNBA Las Vegas Ace guard Kelsey Bloom (third grade jokes about my name aside, no relation).

It’s bound to make a man question some things about his life.

Waller has also faced his share of difficulties throughout his career, from addiction to injury. Maybe he’s trying to find out if there’s more to Darren Waller than just being a football player. Football is an undeniably temporary thing, and most professional football players can only live out their NFL dreams for a few years. Even the longest-lived careers end before a player reaches middle age.

I have to wonder if Waller’s latest foray into music is a subconscious admission that he has one foot (or more) out the door. His song is clearly the product of someone grappling with a drastic change in their life – someone who realizes that an important phase of their life is over.

I don’t know what this means for Waller’s NFL career. If I were to give you some advice, I would say that if you are going to pursue a career in music, find a vocal coach and someone you can collaborate with. Music is a lot like football – there are reasons Why You have to do things (music theory), and it’s really a group effort unless you’re playing alone at home. I also don’t know if this is the beginning of the end of Waller’s career as a footballer, but I wish him nothing but the best.