‘THIS IS WHAT I MEAN’ – SET FOR GLOBAL RELEASE ON NOVEMBER 25TH – AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW – HERE
Further to announcing his highly anticipated third album, ‘This Is What I Mean’ last month, Stormzy has released ‘Firebabe’, the second official single taken from the album which is set for global release on November 25th via 0207 Def Jam.
Produced by George Moore (with additional production from PRGRSHN and tendai,) ‘Firebabe’ features additional vocals from rising star and fellow 0207 Def Jam label friend Debbie, Mercury-Prize winning Sampha and Grammy award-winning Jacob Collier. Following on from the release of ‘Hide & Seek’ – the first official single release from the record – ‘Firebabe’ sees Stormzy offering up a beautifully delicate, heartfelt and deeply touching sound.
Speaking on the creation of the single, Stormzy states: “Debbie, George [Moore] and I got in the studio together and it was the most beautiful moment. It was a session I’ll never forget, for the rest of my life. It was extremely special and everyone in the room understood that.” He continues – “we were making something that hopefully, God willing, lives forever. Something that has soul and feeling and it came from a really pure place. We took a truth and made some art from it.”
Shot in England, the single also arrives alongside a simple yet captivating visual. Directed by British Director Edem Wornoo, the accompanying video showcases Stormzy alone in a naturally-lit house surrounded by water; reflecting and feeling the emotive meaning behind the poignant record.
In addition to announcing his new single, this week also saw Stormzy announce ‘This Is What We Mean Day’ – a team up with London-based festival All Points East to curate an unforgettable day of brilliant artists and music which will be held at Victoria Park on August 18th 2023. For priority access to tickets, pre-order ‘This Is What I Mean’ from store.stormzy.com. Pre-sale tickets go on sale at 10am on 15th November and general sale tickets go on sale at 10am on 17th November via www.allpointseastfestival.com.
On the release of his third album, Stormzy stands not only as one of Britain’s most accomplished rappers, but one of its most accomplished musicians of any genre and a cultural icon. Through his new record, he’s delivered an undeniable modern classic, effortlessly condensing any number of disparate styles and genres into music which thrillingly broaches any gap between urgent modern treatise, soul and hip-hop.
A bold, brave and courageous leap forward from his critically acclaimed previous two #1 records, ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ and ‘Heavy Is The Head’, this isn’t music simply for the pop charts but rather, an intimate love letter to music and one that showcases intensely personal and lyrical themes which lay bare the vulnerabilities, regret, frailties, healing, joy and triumph in a manner and to an extent that reframes the notion of what rap artists traditionally might do and be.
The confidence which drove the album stemmed from a deeper and far more spiritual place than we have seen from Stormzy previously. For all the success and awards that he has accrued during his brief, meteoric career, the lockdown that ensued from the coronavirus pandemic gave him one commodity he’d long lacked: time. And thanks to his sense of accomplishment following Glastonbury he was, for the first time, in a position to make the most of it.
Much of the creative energy that shaped the album emerged from a Stormzy music camp in Osea Island – a remote island in the Essex estuary that’s only accessible via a Roman Causeway for four hours a day at low tide. Surrounded by leading-edge producers and musicians (who will all be unveiled in due course), each and every morning they would eat and pray together and then spend the rest of the time driven to creative heights by each other’s talents. “When you hear about music camps they always sound intense and sombre,” says Stormzy. ““People saying: “We need to make an album.” “We need to make some hit records.” But this felt beautifully free. We’re all musicians but we weren’t always doing music. Some days we played football or walked around taking pictures. And the bi-product to that was very beautiful music. Because when you marry that ethos with world class musicians and the best producers, writers and artists in the world, and we’re in one space, that’s a recipe for something that no one can really imagine. You can’t even calculate what that’s going to come up with. And it came up with a big chunk of this album.”
The net result is that while ‘This Is What I Mean’ sounds very much like Stormzy, it sounds like no Stormzy album you have ever heard before.
‘THIS IS WHAT I MEAN’ – SET FOR GLOBAL RELEASE ON NOVEMBER 25TH
‘THIS IS WHAT I MEAN’ TRACK-LISTING:
1. Fire + Water
2. This Is What I Mean
3. FireBabe
4. Please
5. Need You
6. Hide & Seek
7. My Presidents Are Black
8. Sampha’s Plea
9. Holy Spirit
10. Bad Blood
11. I Got My Smile Back
12. Give It To The Water
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