Format Digital download Length 3:48 | Genre British hip hop
R&B Label Parlophone | |
Released 19 June 2015 (2015-06-19) Writer(s) Patrick Okogwu
Jess Glynne
Gareth Keane
Krishane
Lewis Jankel
Janee Bennett
Jermaine Jackson | ||
"Not Letting Go" is a song by English rapper Tinie Tempah. It features the vocals from Jess Glynne. The song was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2015 as the lead single for his upcoming third studio album Youth. It also appears on the deluxe version of Glynne's debut album, I Cry When I Laugh (2015). "Not Letting Go" samples the song "Not for Long" by American rapper B.o.B. and also contains a sample from "There's a Better Way" from Jermaine Jackson's 1982 album "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy".
Contents
The song entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart, giving Tempah his sixth UK chart-topper (more than any other artist during the 2010s) and Glynne her fourth. Tempah overtook Dizzee Rascal for most number-one singles by a British rap artist.
Background
Talking to Digital Spy, Tinie Tempah said, "I've been a fan of Jess since I heard her song 'Home'. We met properly at the Brits last year and spoke about doing something together. We both had crazy summers and kept bumping into each other at festivals. We eventually set a date for studio with Bless Beats, who produced the track, and it just kind of happened." He also said "Both being Londoners, I wanted to make a song that captured that London summertime feeling which is always the best time of the year for me and the time where I've had my most romantic experience. So it's an ode to a girl I met and our experiences in this amazing city we call home – London!"
Accolades
The song finished the year as the 36th-best-selling song of 2015 in the United Kingdom.
Music video
The music video was directed by Charlie Robins and Joe Alexander. It features both Tempah and Glynne, and was shot in Brockwell Park, Brixton, South London.
Live performances
Tempah performed the song with Sasha Keable on The Graham Norton Show, as Glynne was having surgery on her vocal chords.