“If you’re expecting the same old soul singer, that’s not necessarily who I am,” the prodigy divulges as perhaps the most telling description of his work. “I call my sound ‘future throwback soul’ since it’s what people love about old soul music, that throwback sound… but I bring it into the future.” Growing up in Manchester, he put in his time studying the soul greats of yesterday and today, developing his sound as a teen through bedroom recordings and making his name performing on Britain’s underground urban stages. “It was tough fitting into the Manchester music scene which had always been really focused on guitar and dance music, the urban scene was almost non-existent… so, in making those recordings in my bedroom, I figured out how I wanted to sound…It was my training ground. Everything really began there for me. It was the first step in becoming the artist I am today.”
He first perked mainstream ears accompanying the Gorillaz on their 2010 chart hit, “Doncamatic,” after a mutual friend introduced the group to his music at one of his many London shows. He released the single, “Smoking Gun” in 2011 to impressive airplay, gaining ground as an independent artist on BBC Radio 1xtra and being listed as one of the station’s ‘Sound of 2011’ honorable mentions. He later fueled Wretch 32’s “Long Way Home,” for which he co-wrote.
His gradual ascent didn’t come easy, however. Pulling in favors after nearly being dropped by his label and investing his own money into promotion, Daley completed his EP, Those Who Wait, spawning his initial viral online success in 2012. “I made the EP a free download because after the Gorillaz track there really wasn’t much else out there for people to get ahold of from me and in doing so, it spread around the world and helped me gain the attention of more listeners,” he explains. “In being free, it took on a life of its own and became like an introduction for me as an artist… I knew I had to get it heard stateside and that was really the best way.”
His second EP, Alone Together (also released in 2012) continued his rise with his first stateside single, the subtly seductive “Alone Together” featuring Grammy nominee, Marsha Ambrosius, for which New York R&B radio station WBLS gave its first spins. Since his US debut, he’s garnered two Soul Train Award nominations and has racked up over 5 million YouTube/VEVO views with the video for his Jessie J-assisted duet, “Remember Me.” Supporting the likes of Miguel and Emeli Sande, along with megastar label mate, Jessie J, he’s performed to sold-out audiences around the world and counts icons, George Michael and Bobby Womack, among his fans. 2013 scored Daley his first MOBO nominations, for “Best Newcomer” and “Best R&B Artist,” along with a guest spot on Nelly’s latest single, “Heaven.”
Part of Daley’s international appeal comes from his ability to harmonize the sounds of yesterday and tomorrow with the technologies of today. His Twitter hash tag “#ASKDALEY” has trended globally, while he’s notably become one of BBC 1xtra Live’s most shared acts to date. He says of his digital following: “I can gage people’s reactions and I like to hear their feedback. It’s important to me to hear how people feel and relate to my music.”
All signs point to a massive full-length debut from the artist in 2014.
Entitled Days & Nights, the album balances the bright young star’s individual style and awe-worthy falsetto with illuminating vulnerability and substance. “Days & Nights is literally my life for the past couple of years. It’s trying to balance your career, your love life, your ‘everything’ and keeping them all in check… it all blurs into one like your day’s and night’s,” he describes.
Fusing R&B/Soul aesthetics he grew up on (from Prince’s funky fervor to D’Angelo’s neo-soul) with sparse electro-ambient stylings, he effectively captures this generation’s sonic amalgam. While his palette’s rooted in the classics, he pushes music forward with a sound beyond his years. “It’s soulful at its core and in terms of sound and production, the album reflects me and my influences – a combination of US and UK sounds,” he details.
On “Be,” he employs 80’s percussion with moody piano chords to achieve a Sade-like AC stunner. “Blame The World’s” boom-bap brass and orchestral backing show off his bombastic versatility, while the empowering “Broken” proves he can easily hold his own as a triumphant balladeer a la Adele. Pharrell’s co-production on “Look Up” even reminisces Marvin Gaye’s seminal “What’s Going On,” begging a comparison to the icon’s greatest moments.
Tackling the everyday has never sounded so sensuous.
Days & Nights welcomes Daley to the world stage without compromise.
Remember Me
Daley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To all the way you've been seeing
Now you feel regret, yeah
But that don't mean shit to me
No, no
So empty what you can say
Take a minute please
It's too little too late
I hope that those tears refresh your memory
Now when another makes you cry
That's when you, remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
I guess it wasn't enough
To give you everything, no no
And I guess I should have know better
How could I be so naive
I don't know,
So empty what you can say
Take a minute please
It's too little too late
To make it up to me
I hope that those tears refresh your memory
Now when you're all alone at night
That's when you, remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Now when you all alone at night
That's when you, remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Remember me
I'm the one who loved you
Remember me (remember me)
I'm the one who loved you (remember me)
Remember me
I'm the one who loved you (I'm the one who loved you)
In Daley Ft. Jessie J's song Remember Me, the singer is addressing someone who has just confessed to their wrongdoings, expressing regret, and trying to make amends. However, the singer has already been hurt too much to forgive easily. They acknowledge the confession but state that it's too little too late, and that the tears shed now won't erase the pain that has already been caused. The message is clear: the singer wants the other person to remember their mistakes, and to remember the pain they have caused when another person causes them pain. The chorus highlights this intent especially; when the other person is hurting, they should remember the singer because they were the ones who hurt them, but also the ones who loved them.
The verses are the singer's internal monologue, as they reflect on the relationship and how it has fallen apart. They're aware that they gave everything they could and believed in the relationship, but perhaps they were foolish to do so. They're hurt and jaded, and they don't want to allow the other person to come back into their lives easily.
Overall, the song is about the complex emotions of relationships and the difficulty of forgiveness, especially when forgiveness is sought when it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
So you confess,
You admit to all the things you've done
To all the way you've been seeing
To all the people you've been seeing
Now you feel regret, yeah
Now you feel sorry for what you've done
But that don't mean shit to me
But that doesn't matter to me
So empty what you can say
Say what you need to say
Take a minute please
Take some time to think
It's too little too late
It's too late to make things right
To make it up to me
To make amends with me
I hope that those tears refresh your memory
I hope those tears make you remember what you've done
Now when another makes you cry
Now when someone else makes you cry
That's when you, remember me
That's when you think of me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who caused you pain
I'm the one who loved you baby
I'm the one who loved you
I guess it wasn't enough
I guess what I did wasn't enough
To give you everything, no no
To give you all that I had
And I guess I should have know better
And I guess I should have known better
How could I be so naive
How could I be so foolish
Now when you're all alone at night
Now when you're by yourself at night
I'm the one who loved you
I'm the one who loved you
Remember me (remember me)
Think of me (think of me)
I'm the one who loved you (remember me)
I'm the one who loved you (think of me)
Remember me
Think of me
I'm the one who loved you (I'm the one who loved you)
I'm the one who loved you (that's all)
Lyrics © Global Talent Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marlene Shaw, Mica Paris, Lye-Fook Omar, Robert Miller, Richard Evans, Gareth Daley, Alec Boatang, Richard Antwi, Scott Wild
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Ignacio Aros
So you confess,
To all the way you've been seeing
Now you feel regret, yeah
But that don't mean shit to me
No, no
So empty what you can say
Take a minute please
It's too little too late
To make it up to me
I hope that those tears refresh your memory
Now when another makes you cry
That's when you, remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
I guess it wasn't enough
To give you everything, no no
And I guess I should have know better
How could I be so naive
I don't know,
So empty what you can say
Take a minute please
It's too little too late
To make it up to me
I hope that those tears refresh your memory
Now when you're all alone at night
That's when you, remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Now when you all alone at night
That's when you, remember me
I'm the one that hurt you baby
I'm the one who loved you baby
Remember me
I'm the one who loved you
Remember me (remember me)
I'm the one who loved you (remember me)
Remember me
I'm the one who loved you (I'm the one who loved you)
enmaxus
Why wasnt this song played on every radio station in the country? This song should have been a massive hit. Daley, you the man.
Paul Patrick
Right?!?!😂
Rick Andrew
Still exceptionally good in 2021, Daley is great, Jessie is the icing on the cake 💘
Shanell Diva
I love his voice.I'm loving how soulful their voices are
Stanley Oliveira Santti
Jessie J is someone who exceeds all expectations !! What a voice, what a body .... everything !! In love !!
perfectwonder
Cant get over how good this song is, and how good their voices sound!
Brione Pendleton
To this day this is still one of my favorite songs ⚡
JeswithanS
Wow, the strength in her voice in 2:41 gives me goosebumps. Her voice is amazing.
Amirah Raheem
Real music! My prayers have been answered. Amazing song!!!
Only1WithAnE
Why have I never heard this? I love both of them and they sound great together