SELF ESTEEM RETURNS WITH NEW SINGLE ‘BIG MAN’ WITH MOONCHILD SANELLY
Self Esteem returns today with her first new music since the release of her wildly acclaimed BRIT and Mercury Prize-nominated 2021 album Prioritise Pleasure. Her new single ‘Big Man’ is a collaboration with South African trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly and explores the nuances of modern masculinity and gender roles.
‘Big Man’ was premiered as Hottest Record In The World on BBC Radio 1 and arrives with Self Esteem’s brightest and boldest music video yet; concept by Self Esteem, directed by Piers Dennis and produced by Ayomide Alli and Precious Mahaga. Opening with a nod to Queen’s iconic ‘I Want To Break Free’ visuals, it sees the duo take on household chores historically regarded as ‘women’s work’ in style.
‘Big Man’ Artwork
Self Esteem shares, “Me and Moon wrote a song from the perspective of a good boyfriend. The ones that are just chill and secure so they just leave you to it. The ones that don’t want a medal for doing the bins. The ones that see that you’re working your tits off so they go and get yet another thing you’ve ordered and missed the delivery of from the post office. The ones that don’t take your success as a direct threat to their existence. To me this is real masculinity.
We have both collaborated with Johan Karlberg on our records and I’m so grateful to him for introducing us, it was a joy to make this song together. In my head the video always needed to be an inverse ‘I Want To Break Free’ – Piers Dennis executed this gorgeously cos he’s a fucking Big Man. Self Esteem 3 lez go.”
Moonchild Sanelly adds, “We were in the studio bonding HARD, having the deepest conversation about relationships and how it’s hard to be bold, loud female artists in a relationship. How you can be the baddest bitch on any stage, but if you have an insecure man he can’t support your success as a woman. Instead of celebrating and supporting you, he sees your success as a personal attack and uses it to pull you down and make you feel bad. And we thought… what would it feel like… to be ourselves, doing what we do, and have a man who properly supported all that we are. So Rebecca and I wrote from the perspective of our ideal partner. The song is from the hypothetical perspective of a man who supports their partner and is happy for their woman. A man that is fully secure. A big man.”
Watch the video for ‘Big Man’
‘Big Man’ follows a collaboration with Becky Hill on her recent song ‘True Colours’. Next week Self Esteem will be a special guest at Young Fathers’s huge outdoor hometown show in Stirling City Park, alongside Noname and Petite Noir.