Romy & Sampha Collaborate On New Single 'I’m On Your Team' Out Now Via Young

Having been friends and label mates since their teens, Romy and Sampha make their long-awaited first appearance on record together with the collaborative new single 'I’m on your team'. Premiering as Radio 1’s “Hottest Record In The World”, the pair wrote the song during sessions for other artists before finally recording it together in London following the release of their acclaimed 2023 albums LAHAI and Mid Air, alongside co-producer and composer Thomas Bartlett.

It’s a startlingly beautiful song that documents the fragmented stages of a relationship as it moves from the dreamlike, carefree moment of first falling in love to the more real, everyday love of a long-term relationship requiring dedication and effort. As Romy says, “It’s a love song but lyrically, it’s honest and truthful. Like “we’ve had the magic and dreaminess but now we’ve been through things together, so here we are and I’m putting in the work,’” while Sampha adds “I love the idea of being part of a team, that you have to show up for each other, and from there you can create an even deeper connection”. The evolving nature of a relationship crystalises somewhere between the chorus of “And I hope the way I feel tonight, is the way I feel for life” and the closing “I’m on your team, but I can’t always coach you.”

The single follows years of friendship and admiration between the pair, whose careers have often mirrored each other. Emerging out of a vibrant London scene in the late 00s, they both found a label home at Young and released debut albums that would go on to win the UK’s revered Mercury Music Prize (Sampha as a solo artist and Romy via her band The xx). Sampha also supported The xx during early North American tours and remixed their single 'Basic Space'. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Romy appeared as a guest on Sampha’s 'Wave Therapy' show for Apple Music 1 which saw the pair come together publicly for the first time on a cover of Andre 3000’s 'Me&My (To Bury My Parents)'. Both are also esteemed collaborators with other artists, Sampha having worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Stormzy, Solange, and Frank Ocean, while Romy has released acclaimed music with the likes of Fred again.., Jessie Ware, Tom Rasmussen and Jamie xx alongside songwriting for some of the biggest names in pop.

'I'm On Your Team' is accompanied by an intimate performance video from the London-based artist workers’ cooperative not/nowhere that captures a stunning live rendition of the song. Meanwhile, the single artwork features a detail of a bespoke piece created by Wales Bonner to celebrate the single. In addition, 'I’m On Your Team' soundtracks the closing credits to the new John Crowley-directed movie We Live In Time (A24 Films) starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.

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