British rapper and singer, Stormzy never fails to deliver such an outstanding and mesmerizing performance at the BRIT Awards, as he performs two new songs of his, “Hide And Seek” and “I Got My Smile Back” from his latest album, This Is What I Mean, released on November 25 2022. His first appearance at the 2023 BRIT Awards marks three years, since 2020 since he last performed.
Stormzy performs Hide & Seek at The Brit Awards 2023.#Stormzy #BRITs #Brits2023 #MayaJama #britawards2023 pic.twitter.com/fOJJIAtJ0z
— EmpireArtStudios (@EmpireArtStudio) February 11, 2023
He was one of the many performers on that night. In the background of his performance, were different shades of orange and brown, alongside the backing band, the strings and the choir for the turn. He performs his Afroswing/UK Hip-Hop single “Hide And Seek” first, then he transitioned to his over laid-back, mellowed, Hip-Hop (with choir) song, “I Got My Smile Back.” He was nominated for three awards but was unsuccessful in winning even one as Harry Styles takes the cake with four trophies instead.
Hide And Seek was produced by the likes of PRGRSHN and Owen Cutts, including featured vocals from Nigerian singer and rising star, Oxlade and vocalists Ayanna and Teni. A little context behind the meaning of “Hide And Seek”, the lyrics, “When your soul needs alignin’/ It’s me you confide in/ Seekin’ and hidin’/ Nowhere to find me, yeah.” Stormzy is quite open and confident about his faith in God, so those lyrics imply his spiritual worth and greater beings, whilst still putting his faith and trust in God. In the album as a whole, Stormzy talks about his grounding in God as his ultimate source of inspiration behind his project.
The lyric, “Seekin’ and hidin’, is a reverse of the song title that follows Stormzy’s journey in the limelight, where he was very vocal about finding God and strongly holds on to the importance of finding relaxation and peace.
“I Got My Smile Back” (the second to the last track of the album) represents the album’s conclusion, which shifts back to the symbolism the listeners experienced. The backing vocalist for this single was Debbie Ehirim until the last verse. Throughout the song, she provides a calm, soft and mellow approach, leading to Stormzy ending smoothly on this constructing album that lyrically emphasises moving forward, healing and letting go.
One of the tracks in the album, “Sampha’s Plea,” is spotlighted with “I Got My Smile Back.” Stormzy has admitted to not openly addressing mental health issues as music in his previous music, while there is a slight darkness in the subject matter, it is mostly uplifting and hopeful overall and he hopes his fans get the right message from his album.
