Jackson Breit and Paula DeAnda Breathe New Life Into a 2000s Classic With “Walk Away”

(Credit: Jackson Breit)

There is always risk in covering a song that feels sacred. Paula DeAnda’s 2006 hit Walk Away

(Remember Me) is one of those songs that never really left the room. But in Jackson Breit’s latest reimagining, he does more than revisit the track. He rebuilds it with reverence and restraint, letting the original’s emotion simmer while adding his own musical vocabulary. Jackson seamlessly blends 70s and 80s smash hits with today’s chart-toppers, like Gracie Abrams’ That’s So True, crafting a sound that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly original—timeless yet distinctly modern soul.

Paula returns to the mic not just as a feature, but as a co-pilot. Her vocals are richer now, more grounded, and Jackson meets her there with a clean arrangement that replaces the glossy 2000s bounce with something warmer and more intimate. The beat feels like a long exhale. Every note has space to land. This is not a remake. It is a reinterpretation.

What makes this version work is the balance. Jackson knows when to lead and when to step back. His voice is textured, smooth with a touch of gravel. You hear the jazz and blues in his phrasing, the hip-hop in the pocket of his timing. He is not trying to prove anything. He is simply telling the truth in his own tone.

“At the end of the day, we just vibed in the studio and it just played,” Jackson says.

That energy is undeniable. It is not flashy. It is not forced. It is simply well done.

Walk Away is part of his Covers 2 EP, a genre-bending follow-up to a project that has already passed 50 million streams. The full EP released on June 20 and includes reinterpretations that span from Radiohead to System of a Down. Jackson calls it a “sonic jambalaya,” which feels exactly right. His style is loose without being messy, bold without being self-indulgent.

Despite being deaf in one ear, Jackson’s sense of tone and space is razor sharp. Every layer on Walk Away feels deliberate. It is a quiet flex, and it lands.

“Nostalgia is everyone’s favorite pastime,” he says. “But this one was about going deeper. Paula brought the emotion and I wanted to match it with something that felt new and honest.”

He did exactly that.

Listen to Walk Away :