Craig David teams up with MNEK on ‘Who You Are’
The catchy track blends garage beats, an uplifting strings melody and the pair's soulful vocals to spread a positive message
By Grace Almond
Craig David and MNEK have released their new single, ‘Who You Are’, which features on the former’s upcoming album, ‘22’.
The single sends a positive message about encouraging someone to be true to themselves. ‘Who You Are’ uses progressive garage beats and euphoric strings to deliver a beautiful, uplifting melody.
MNEK lends his soulful vocals to the track, singing “‘Cause the person they all see/ Doesn’t matter much to me/ Already know that you’re a star/ But I just wanna get to who you are”.
David’s upcoming album, ‘22’, is named in honour of the 22nd anniversary of his debut studio album, ‘Born to Do It’. The album reached the number one spot in the UK Album Charts, and was certified platinum in the US.
Speaking about the track, MNEK described the collaboration as a “bucket list” moment: “I’ve worked with Craig many times over the past several years and have obviously looked up to him for FOREVER, one of my childhood heroes easily and such a pioneer for black men in R&B & dance music … So, now we have this collaboration ‘Who You Are’.”
MNEK added: “I love this song more every time I listen to it, it’s so beautiful – and there’s just something about it. I wrote the hook, he wrote the verses, he really wanted me to stay on it with him and like … who’s actually gonna say no to Craig David? He’s the best “to do it”! This is absolutely a tick off the bucket list for me and I hope it touches the people who hear it.”
David also commented on the new release: “It feels so authentic, it has intention. Put on ‘Who You Are’ to try and talk to someone that needs help.” In the lead-up to the release of ‘Who You Are’, David wrote on Twitter “this song holds a special place in my heart”.
Next year, David will embark on an arena tour to mark the anniversary of his album. The tour, entitled ‘Hold That Thought’, will take place in April 2022. The singer will perform on multiple dates throughout the UK.
Craig David’s new album will be released on May 13 2022.