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Emmanuel Speaks releases lead single ‘WDYM’, ahead of album release

Fadumo Khamis

By Fadumo Khamis

Fadumo Khamis

18 Aug 2018

Performance poet Emmanuel Speaks releases  new single ‘WDYM’, the lead single from his forthcoming album ‘The Composer’ set for a September release.

An eventful year for Emmanuel

The past year has been an exciting one for Emmanuel. He has collaborated with Google: headlining the Black Googlers Network event 2017 and New Look: voicing their Christmas 2017 and Spring/Summer 2018 adverts. Speaks has also been spotlighted by Nike London, for Nike’s England and Nigeria World Cup kit campaign.

Emmanuel Speaks most recent efforts saw him address using his art as a catalyst for growth in his TEDxLondon talk. Speaking on that moment, Emmanuel expressed that

“this stands as the biggest thing I’ve ever done so far.”

WDYM

‘WDYM’ which has been abbreviated from the words “what do you mean”, sees Emmanuel test out his rapping skills! Inspired by Jay Z’s ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ – he speaks very tongue-n-cheek on relations with various women from various backgrounds. His lyrics mostly focus on wordplay, irony and stereotype.

Emmanuel has been working tirelessly on the new project and has been working with a number of producers to help bring his vision to life. ‘The Composer’ is a journey that represents the coming of age, going from darkness to light and has been represented sonically as well as visually.

In context of the overall narrative of the album, WDYM comes at a point where Speaks is transitioning. He plays on the long-standing joke on social media, regarding young men using this exact phrase to wriggle out of remaining accountable to their partners when questioned. The persona of a young casanova, growing into a man who is learning to be better. Hence, the track’s soft underbelly – leading into the next song on the project ‘Songs 4 U’.

WDYM is available on all digital streaming platforms from 17-08-18.

WATCH HERE

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