Joshua Idehen – Don’t You Give Up On Me

Sweden based, British born Nigerian, Josh Idehen re-imagines his soul-baring single ‘Don’t You Give Up On Me’ with the help of UK household name, Jordan Stephens [formerly of Rizzle Kicks] and Lazy Habits.

‘Don’t You Give Up On Me’ is an impeccably executed blend of electronica, jazz and soul which provides a bed for Idehen’s tale of healing and optimism.

Poetic lyricism runs through the track and presents an addictive narrative which is led to an explosive gospel chorus as Idehen collaborates with some of the most recognisable voices in the scene, including Sharlene Hector (Basement Jazz), Cleveland Watkiss (MBE), Heidi Vogel (Cinematic Orchestra) and Ade Omotayo (Amy Winehouse), the result is unsurprisingly stunning.

In this re-imagined version of the single, Jordan Stephens lends his creative lyrical finesse that helped carve himself a very iconic space in the 2010’s – yet removing the playful element and replacing with moving poignancy for this release. Lazy Habits’ contributions emphatically bridge the first and the second half of the track, and with a slightly grittier edge, the trio conclude this remix with unshakeable conviction to deliver the sentiment of Idehen’s track.

Joshua Idehen, a mainstay of the UK jazz/electronic scene and chameleonic artist follows on from recent successes, which include being named a 2021 one-to-watch by NME as part of jazz crew Calabashed as well as contributing vocals for two Mercury-nominated albums, with this latest solo offering his most captivating to date.

Idehen also worked on the highly praised Sons Of Kemet album ‘Black To The Future’ alongside Kojey Radical and D Double E and it is this experience that Joshua brings to his new incarnation.

Eager to push boundaries and express himself Joshua met in Stockholm with producer Ludvig Parment aka Saturday, Monday and decided to work on a track exploring gospel house, rave and spoken word, in the vein of artists such as Faithless, The Streets, For Those I Love and Real Lies. The result is a forward thinking, impossible to define release which sets the pace for future releases.

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