The Voice South Africa winner, Richard Stirton, proved he was a star in the making on the hit reality show and delivered an incredible debut album, titled ‘Middle Ground’, shortly after winning the show. However, over the past few months, the star has been rather quiet as he has been working on a brand-new set of songs for his upcoming EP ‘Naked’. Now, Richard has dropped the project’s lead single ‘Defeated’ – and it’s the perfect lead single.
On ‘Naked’, Richard revealed that he will be showing fans a raw and real side of him so, naturally, ‘Defeated’ hits one right in the feels. For the song, Richard revisits a break-up and pours his heart and soul into the lyrical content of the song. The single, however, takes an up-tempo approach sonically instead of the predictable ballad approach.
“The idea [behind the song] came from being in a relationship where things were no longer working and you’re no longer together. When you are hurting and broken but the other person is fine. You’re not over it but they seem to be,” Richard tells us. “The verses are nostalgic and reflective on times past, illustrating the idea that you’re not wanting to give up on the relationship. The vibe of the song is happy and feel good with a bit of edge. We wanted it to be a serious narrative with a feel good, happy uplifting feel. Because in those situations most people resort to partying and time with their friends to lift them up and get them through those difficult times.”
Richard tapped the boys from Easy Freak to add their own flair to the production side of the song which is both something fresh from Richard and radio-friendly enough to become a hit. “[Easy Freak] really helped lay the foundation of the production and feel of the track. They’re incredibly talented guys and great human beings,” Richard says. “We knew we wanted it to be feel good and make people move, we also wanted the production to be dirty in parts to make it a little edgier than a generic pop track. I then went back to Cape Town and worked with Michael-Wilson Trollip, who’s been producing the entire EP, to revise the production slightly and make it warmer and more organic to match the overriding theme of the EP. I think we have succeeded in finding that balance.”
‘Defeated’ is now available on all major digital music platforms.
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