This Is What I Mean

Last updated

This Is What I Mean
Stormzy - This Is What I Mean.png
Studio album by
Stormzy
Released25 November 2022 (2022-11-25)
Length51:20
Label
Producer
  • Prgrshn
  • Daniel Buhlebuyeza Miles
  • Dion Wardle
  • George Moore
  • Grades
  • Joel Peters
  • Jojo Mukeza
  • Juls
  • Knox Brown
  • KZ
  • Owen Cutts
  • P2J
  • Scribz Riley
  • Tempoe
  • Tendai
Stormzy chronology
Heavy Is the Head
(2019)		This Is What I Mean
(2022)
Singles from This Is What I Mean
  1. "Hide & Seek"
    Released: 14 October 2022
  2. "Firebabe"
    Released: 10 November 2022

This Is What I Mean is the third studio album by British rapper Stormzy, released through #Merky and 0207 Def Jam on 25 November 2022. [1] It follows Stormzy's 2019 album Heavy Is the Head , [2] and was preceded by the lead single "Hide & Seek" [3] and the follow-up single "Firebabe". [4] It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards. [5]

Contents

Background

The album was recorded on Osea Island in England during a series of music camps with a team of "world class musicians and the best producers, writers and artists in the world" in a "free atmosphere", [6] where Stormzy "prayed every morning" during its creation. It was further described as an "intimate love letter to music" by Stormzy. [7]

The album's announcement follows the release of the single "Mel Made Me Do It" on 23 September 2022, which was not included on the album. [2]

Promotion

Following a break of almost three years from social media, Stormzy announced the album on his social media on 12 October 2022, sharing the cover art and track list. [8] The lead single "Hide & Seek" was released on 14 October 2022, and was preceded by clips of Stormzy recording the song. [3] The second single "Firebabe" followed on 10 November 2022. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 79/100 [9]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 8/10 [10]
Evening Standard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [15]
The Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]

This Is What I Mean was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 79, based on 14 reviews. [9]

Will Hodgkinson of The Times described the album as a "major achievement" with atypical guest stars from "contemporary Afrobeat, soul and R&B", [17] while David Smyth of the Evening Standard called it Stormzy's "most downbeat, intimate collection" that "very much sounds like a team effort[, t]hough the feel is insular and understated". Smyth summarised the two main themes on the album as being Stormzy "hurting from a break-up" and "the need for the advancement of black culture as a whole". [11]

Track listing

This Is What I Mean track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Fire + Water"
  • PRGRSHN
  • Kz
8:17
2."This Is What I Mean" (featuring Amaarae, Black Sherif, Ms Banks and STORRY)
5:24
3."Firebabe" (featuring Debbie)
  • Omari
  • Debbie Ehirim
  • George Moore
  • Collier
  • Alexander
  • Simon Tendai Senyange
  • Moore
  • Daniel Buhlebuyeza Miles [a]
  • Peters [a]
  • Jojo Mukeza [a]
  • PRGRSHN [a]
  • Tendai [a]
3:40
4."Please"
  • Omari
  • Owen Cutts
  • Reuben James
Cutts2:53
5."Need You" (featuring Tendai and Ayra Starr)
  • Omari
  • Alexander
  • Isong
  • Senyange
3:16
6."Hide & Seek"
  • Omari
  • Andrew Jason Brown
  • Ayanna Christie Brown
  • Cutts
  • Alexander
  • Isong
  • Temilade Openiyi
  • P2J
  • PRGRSHN
  • Cutts [c]
  • Calum Landau [v]
3:28
7."My Presidents Are Black"
  • Omari
  • Alexander
  • Daniela Rathana
  • PRGRSHN
  • Peters [a]
4:22
8."Sampha's Plea" (featuring Sampha)
Cutts2:45
9."Holy Spirit"
  • Omari
  • Dion Wardle
  • Alexander
  • PRGRSHN
  • Wardle
4:42
10."Bad Blood" (featuring NAO)
4:03
11."I Got My Smile Back" (featuring India.Arie)
  • Omari
  • Ehirim
  • Collier
  • Isong
4:11
12."Give It to the Water" (featuring Debbie & Jacob Collier)
  • Omari
  • Ehirim
  • Wardle
  • Collier
Wardle4:12
Total length:51:13

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for This Is What I Mean
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [18] 72
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] 58
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [20] 25
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] 48
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22] 96
Irish Albums (OCC) [23] 10
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [24] 40
Scottish Albums (OCC) [25] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [26] 40
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [27] 35
UK Albums (OCC) [28] 1
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [29] 1
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [30] 1

Certifications

Certifications for This Is What I Mean
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] Silver60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ Arcand, Rob (12 October 2022). "Stormzy Announces New Album This Is What I Mean". Pitchfork . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 Darville, Jordan (12 October 2022). "Stormzy announces new album This Is What I Mean". The Fader . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 Kenneally, Cerys (13 October 2022). "Stormzy announces first This Is What I Mean single 'Hide & Seek'". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 Holden, Finlay (10 November 2022). "Stormzy has released a second single, 'Firebabe', from his upcoming third album, 'This Is What I Mean'". Dork . Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Smith, Carl (12 January 2023). "BRIT Awards 2023 nominations REVEALED". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Blistein, Jon (12 October 2022). "Grime Star Stormzy Returning With Third Album 'This Is What I Mean'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  7. ↑ Neale, Matthew (12 October 2022). "Stormzy announces new album 'This Is What I Mean'". NME . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  8. ↑ Murray, Tom (12 October 2022). "Stormzy announces 'intimate' new album This Is What I Mean". The Independent . Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic . Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  10. ↑ Mellen, James (25 November 2022). "Stormzy – This Is What I Mean". Clash . Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  11. 1 2 Smyth, David (25 November 2022). "Stormzy This is What I Mean album review – he's already the GOAT, now he's a grown-up". Evening Standard . Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  12. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (25 November 2022). "Stormzy: This Is What I Mean review — grace and vulnerability from the UK's most significant rapper". Financial Times . Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  13. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (25 November 2022). "Stormzy: This Is What I Mean review – haunted by heartbreak on his most personal album yet". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Moore, Sam (25 November 2022). "Stormzy – 'This Is What I Mean' review: levelling up on his own terms". NME . Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Pritchard, Will (1 December 2022). "Stormzy: This Is What I Mean Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  16. ↑ McCormick, Neil (25 November 2022). "With this powerful torch album, Stormzy abandons the macho to reveal rap's soft side". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  17. 1 2 Hodgkinson, Will (25 November 2022). "Stormzy: This Is What I Mean review—The megastar's third album is a major achievement". The Times . Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  18. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 5 December 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1709. Australian Recording Industry Association. 5 December 2022. p. 6.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Stormzy – This Is What I Mean" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  20. ↑ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 48, 2022". Hitlisten . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Stormzy – This Is What I Mean" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Stormzy – This Is What I Mean" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  23. ↑ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  25. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  26. ↑ "Veckolista Album, vecka 48". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Stormzy – This Is What I Mean". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  29. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  30. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  31. ↑ "British album certifications – Stormzy – This Is What I Mean". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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