Lighter (Nathan Dawe song)

"Lighter"
A photo of Nathan Dawe (left) and KSI (right), dressed in white and red tracksuits, respectively, on the set of the music video, in the centre of a red and white background. The title "Lighter" appears in large white font in the bottom-right, with Dawe's name in large white font in the top-left and KSI's name in large red font in the top-right.
Single by Nathan Dawe featuring KSI
from the EP If Heaven Had a Phone Line
Released24 July 2020 (2020-07-24)
StudioMilton Keynes, United Kingdom
GenreHouse, UK Garage
Length3:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Nathan Dawe singles chronology
"Flowers"
(2019) 		"Lighter"
(2020) 		"No Time for Tears"
(2020)
KSI singles chronology
"Killa Killa"
(2020) 		"Lighter"
(2020) 		"Loose"
(2020)
Music video
"Lighter" on YouTube
Acoustic music video
"Lighter (Acoustic)" on YouTube

"Lighter" is a song by British DJ and record producer Nathan Dawe featuring British YouTuber and rapper KSI, with vocals from British singer-songwriter Ella Henderson. It was released for digital download and streaming by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group on 24 July 2020 as a standalone single. An upbeat, feel-good house track, its lyrics are about leaving a toxic relationship and feeling happy that the relationship has ended and not carrying a burden.

An accompanying music video was released on 24 July 2020. The light-hearted video stars Dawe and KSI among a cast, playing basketball and football. The group start out completely useless at both sports, though they improve as the video progresses. An acoustic version of "Lighter", which credits Henderson and features a new verse by KSI, was released on 28 August 2020 alongside an accompanying music video.

"Lighter" received positive reviews from music critics, who commonly praised the song's catchiness and KSI's energetic verse, and it was dubbed "one of the hits of the summer". The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and it further charted in eight other countries. "Lighter" was one of the UK's best-selling songs of 2020 and it has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for exceeding sales of 600,000 units in the country. "Lighter" was nominated for the BRIT Award for Song of the Year at the 2021 ceremony.

Writing and production

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Ella Henderson wrote "Lighter" with British songwriters Tre Jean-Marie and Jonny Lattimer. The song was "ballady and slow" which "didn't fit her artist profile at the time". Henderson "had a lot of other releases planned and it wasn't really right for her". She sent the song to Nathan Dawe, who "sped it up, pitched the vocal up and completely transformed it". Henderson "thought it was sick and wished [Dawe] luck with it".[1] Dawe and his management felt that "Lighter" should feature a verse from a British rapper, similar to his previous single "Flowers" (2019), which features British rapper Jaykae, leading to the decision to feature KSI on "Lighter". Dawe explained, "I've known of KSI for a long time and I've been quite a fan of his work... His music recently that's started to come out, the quality [of it has] been really good... I was listening to [his album] thinking, 'KSI's actually sick!' So I [asked] my manager, "What do you think? Would [KSI] work?' [My manager said], 'Let's reach out [to him].'"[2] They sent the track to KSI, who listened to it and "thought it was an absolute banger" and agreed to "jump on it".[3] KSI recalled, "When I heard [the song], I thought, 'This is a smash!' I knew instantly what I needed to do to elevate it to another level."[4] KSI wrote a verse for "Lighter" at his home in London.[5] He recalled that "it took [him] a couple of hours to write the verse". He recorded the verse at an arranged recording studio session which "took less than an hour".[4] Dawe could not be present at the recording studio due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, but he spectated the session via Zoom.[5]

Music and lyrics

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"Lighter"
A 23-second sample of the feel-good chorus, showcasing Ella Henderson's sped-up and pitched-up vocals and a piano-house drop.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Lighter" is an upbeat house track.[6][7][8] Henderson's vocals are sped-up and pitched-up.[1] She sings about leaving a toxic relationship and feeling happy that the relationship has ended and not carrying a burden. The lyrics give inspiration to those who are struggling through a breakup, heartbreak, or even through losing a toxic person in their life, and feeling better despite the hard times.[6] Henderson's chorus builds up to a piano-house drop.[8] KSI's energetic rap verse is introduced in the break of the track, leading to "Lighter" being labelled as a crossover of house and rap.[8] Dawe described "Lighter" as "a summer anthem [with] a feel-good vibe".[3] The staff of Sport Playlists similarly described "Lighter" as an "anthemic slice of feel-good dance music" that was "written with summer in mind".[7]

Release and promotion

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On 12 July 2020, Dawe announced via social media that he would soon be releasing a new single.[9][10] The song's title, featured artist, cover art and release date were revealed three days later and "Lighter" was made available to pre-order on digital download services and pre-save on streaming services, alongside the release of a teaser trailer for the song.[11][12] The cover art shows a photo of Dawe and KSI that was taken on the set of the song's music video shoot, in front of a red and white background.[12] "Lighter" was released for digital download and streaming by Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group on 24 July 2020.[7] An accompanying lyric video was released to Dawe's YouTube channel on the same day.[13] The day after the release of "Lighter", Dawe and KSI performed the song during a live streamed launch party.[14]

An acoustic version of "Lighter" was announced and made available to pre-order on 21 August 2020 and released one week later on 28 August 2020, alongside an accompanying music video.[15][16] This version credits Henderson, unlike the original version of the song, and KSI performs a new verse.[15] Several remixes of "Lighter" have been released; A remix by British singer-songwriter and record producer S-X, which features new verses by British rappers Big Zuu and Window Kid, was released on 4 September 2020.[17] A remix by American DJ and record producer PS1 was released on 21 September 2020, while one by British DJ and record producer Shapes was released on 9 October 2020.[18][19] Dawe, KSI and Henderson performed "Lighter" on BBC One's Top of the Pops New Year Special, which aired on 31 December 2020.[20] The trio later performed the track during The KSI Show on 17 July 2021.

Critical reception

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"Lighter" was met with positive reviews from music critics. The staff of Sports Playlists liked the song's "infectious chorus" and they praised KSI's "memorable verse", which "[punctuates] the track’s bubbling, sugary melodies". They concluded that the song "[reaffirms Dawe's] position as one of the UK's biggest breakout producer talents of the [year]".[7] Sean Evans of Back To The Movies claimed that the song "[shines] a light on an otherwise dark 2020". He acclaimed that KSI's verse is "well-constructed and perfectly matched to the song at hand". Evans praised KSI's "[evolution] as a lyricist" and found it "refreshing to see that some serious thought [had been] put into [his] words and their alternative meanings".[21] Oliver Tryon of CULTR noted that "KSI's signature rapping... [allows] for an injection of rhyming energy that allows for a refreshing sound overall". Tryon remarked, "[KSI] is yet to feature on a house record, and after this result, we need to see it again."[8] Robin Murray of Clash called the song "a clinical banger for those looking to unload [COVID-19] lockdown energy" and proclaimed that it "could well be a summer smash [hit]".[4] "Lighter" was dubbed "one of the hits of the summer" by the staff of Promonews.[22]

Music video

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The music video for "Lighter" was directed by Troy Roscoe.[22] It was filmed at two locations in London on 20 June 2020, across a 13-hour shoot.[9][2] The music video was released to KSI's YouTube channel on 24 July 2020.[23] KSI released a reaction video, in which he and Dawe watch and react to the music video, to YouTube one week later.[24][25] A behind-the-scenes video of the music video shoot was released to Dawe's YouTube channel on 7 August 2020, followed by a bloopers video being released to KSI's YouTube channel one week later.[26][27]

The music video opens with a cast, comprising Dawe, KSI, S-X and Window Kid, playing poker. But when an overconfident KSI goes all-in and comes a cropper, he is stung into challenging his fellow group members to compete at other sports, leading to the group playing basketball and football. The group, who are accompanied by a coach, start out completely useless at both sports, but their on-court skills start to improve upon the arrival of a young woman, with the group competing for her affection.[22][21][28] The video ends with closing credits. The staff of Promonews described the music video as a "suitably light-hearted take on sporting achievement", which "captures the [group's] sporting incompetence like a big budget Nike [advert]" and "does a great job [at] showcasing KSI's big personality and the camaraderie among the group".[22] Reflecting on the music video shoot, Dawe said, "It was a genuinely fun project. It was just a jokes day. All the reactions on camera [were genuine]. It was genuine fun. And that's what makes the video match the song."[5]

Commercial performance

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In the United Kingdom, "Lighter" was the country's most downloaded song in its first week of release.[29] It earned the highest new entry on the UK Singles Chart, debuting at number four, becoming both artists' first song to reach the top five.[30][31][32] It spent eight weeks inside the top five, peaking at number three for four of those weeks, and spent a total of 22 weeks on the chart.[31][33][34] The song also peaked at number two on the UK Dance Singles Chart.[35] The Official Charts Company reported that "Lighter" was the UK's 40th highest-selling and 32nd most-downloaded song of 2020, as well as the country's fifth highest-selling dance song of 2020.[36][37] On 1 January 2021, "Lighter" was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of 600,000 track-equivalent units in the UK.[38] On 4 March 2021, Music Week reported that "Lighter" has sold 671,884 track-equivalent units in the country.[39]

In Ireland, "Lighter" debuted at number 17 on the Irish Singles Chart.[40][41] The song peaked at number eight in its sixth week of release, becoming both artists' first song to reach the top 10, and spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart.[42][41] Elsewhere in Europe, "Lighter" charted in Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. In the United States, the song debuted at number 18 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and spent a total of eight weeks on the chart.[43] On 12 May 2021, Staffordshire Live reported that "Lighter" has received more than 136 million global streams.[44]

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations for "Lighter"
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2020 Amazon Music UK Best Song Won [45]
2021 The BRIT Awards Best British Single Nominated [46]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[47]

  • Nathan Dawe – production, songwriting, programming
  • KSI – songwriting, vocals
  • Ella Henderson – songwriting, vocals
  • Tre Jean-Marie – production, songwriting, bass, drums, engineering, mixing, piano, programming, synthesizer
  • Jonny Lattimer – songwriting
  • Adam Lunn – engineering
  • Kevin Grainger – mastering

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Lighter"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Lighter"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label(s) Ref.
Various 24 July 2020
Original
[7]
United Kingdom Contemporary hit radio [60]
Various 28 August 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Acoustic [15]
4 September 2020 S-X Remix [17]
21 September 2020 PS1 Remix [18]
9 October 2020 Shapes Remix [19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b White, Jack (12 August 2020). "Nathan Dawe talks working with KSI and Ella Henderson on new single Lighter". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Nathan Dawe | IBW Podcast #009". IBW Podcast. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b "KSI Reveals the Secrets of His Success & Making 'Lighter' with DJ Nathan Dawes | Good Morning Britain". Good Morning Britain. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (24 July 2020). "'I'm Able To Give People What They Want!' Clash Meets KSI". Clash. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "KSI & Nathan Dawe Talk 'Lighter' Music Video | Interview | Capital". Capital FM. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b Townsend, Lauren (24 July 2020). "Lighter- Nathan Dawe ft KSI review". What's On. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Nathan Dawe collabs with KSI on latest hit single 'Lighter'". Sports Playlists. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d Tryon, Oliver (24 July 2020). "Nathan Dawe & KSI Unite On Rap House Crossover 'Lighter'". CULTR. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  9. ^ a b Dawe, Nathan [@NathanDawe] (12 July 2020). "My new single, and who it's with, will be announced on Weds at 6PM" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Dawe, Nathan (12 July 2020). "My new single, and who it's with, will be announced on Weds at 6PM 😅". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via Instagram.
  11. ^ Dawe, Nathan [@NathanDawe] (15 July 2020). "The rumours are true @NathanDawe X @KSI New single #Lighter out next Fri! Pre-order from midnight tonight" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ a b Dawe, Nathan (15 July 2020). "The rumours are true 😅 @KSI 🤯 New single 'Lighter' out next Friday! Available to pre-order now 🔥 (link in bio)". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020 – via Instagram.
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  14. ^ Dawe, Nathan [@NathanDawe] (25 July 2020). "It's going off tonight 7PM. Live launch party featuring first ever performance of 'Lighter' w/ @KSI Special guest appearances too http://YouTube.com/nathandawe" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ a b c Dawe, Nathan [@NathanDawe] (21 August 2020). "I can't stress enough how amazing the acoustic version of Lighter is sounding @EllaHenderson absolutely killed the vocals and @KSI's brand new verse legit gave me goosebumps. Available to pre order on iTunes now! Out next Friday" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Nathan Dawe x KSI x Ella Henderson – Lighter (Acoustic) [Official Video]". 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ a b Wynter, Courtney (7 September 2020). "Big Zuu, Window Kid & S-X Join KSI & Nathan Dawe On New 'Lighter' Remix". GRM Daily. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  18. ^ a b Dawe, Nathan [@NathanDawe] (20 September 2020). "Another Lighter remix out at midnight! @ps1music killed it @KSI" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ a b Shapes [@ShapesHQ] (29 September 2020). "big news! my official remix of @NathanDawe and @KSI 'Lighter' drops next friday the 9th of October! can't wait for you all to hear this! let's goooo" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Top of the Pops' Christmas Day and New Year 2020 line-up revealed". Official Charts Company. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  21. ^ a b Evans, Sean (31 July 2020). "KSI Lighter Music Video Review: A Step Up For KSI". Back To The Movies. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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  27. ^ "What you didn't see..." 14 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ Avoledo, Pam (7 August 2020). "Video Review: Nathan Dawe & KSI 'Lighter'". I Want My Pop Culture. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Joel Corry and MNEK hold on to Number 1 with Head and Heart on the Official Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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  34. ^ Dawe, Nathan [@NathanDawe] (18 September 2020). "Lighter has been out for 8 weeks. Lighter has been in the Top 5 for 8 weeks. @KSI @EllaHenderson" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ a b "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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  47. ^ "Nathan Dawe / Lighter (feat. KSI) / Credits". Tidal. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
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