Demi Adejuyigbe returns once more to wish you a happy 21st of September

Somehow, it is once again the 21st of September. Almost an entire calendar year has gone by, flying past in a whirlwind of continuing pandemic uncertainty, a billionaire space race, and news items about some guy’s purportedly swollen balls. But now we’ve made it safely to the cool embrace of autumn’s arrival, the always-hot musical ode to today’s date that is Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “September,” and, most importantly, Demi Adejuyigbe annual celebration of the song.

After having reached the magic fundraising number that keeps Adejuyigbe forever tied to this day—this 21st night of September—he’s returned with the sixth annual video promised if the internet donated to organizations like Chicago’s BlackRoots Alliance, Street Watch LA, D.C.’s Trans United Fund, SELAH, and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.

The question for years now has been how Adejuyigbe can top past 21sts that have escalated steadily from a solo dance to a distorted version of “September” through to children’s choirs, fridge hangouts, mariachi bands, camouflage body suits, storage trucks decorated like bedrooms, and skywriting.

Less than a day after releasing a teaser showing him squeaking out a tentative version of “September’s” melody on violin, Adejuyigbe has shown he’s still got ideas up his (presumably rhinestone-glittering) sleeve.

This year’s installment opens with Adejuyigbe in a bar as September 21st arrives. Though initially haunted by the need to celebrate, he soon begins dancing around the building, boogying up the walls of a disco-themed bathroom’s walls and ceiling like a 2021 Jamiroquai, and joining a crowd of fellow revellers to cut a rug in a shower of confetti. Because that’s not enough on its own, he ends up hopping into a car and flying into the sky.

After the video ends, Adejuyigbe (and a helpful puppet) shows off a painting-in-progress he’s working on that shows a red jersey with “SEPT 21" on it. He’s auctioning off the work at Sept21st.com through raffle tickets whose proceeds will go to Imagine Waterworks, Texas’ West Fund, and the Sunrise Movement. The winner will have the painting hand-delivered to them anywhere in the world with runners-up getting a chance to own the actual jersey used as a reference.

Once all these details are laid out, a post-script shows Earth, Wind, & Fire members cheering on Adejuyigbe’s work, ending this multi-year series in the only way that makes sense.

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