Kele Okereke released his first solo album, titled The Boxer on 21 June 2010, through Wichita / Polydor in the UK and Europe and Glassnote Records for the rest of the world. The album was released under the name Kele, dropping his surname. Okereke explained the album title, saying "as a boxer, you have to rely on nobody else but yourself to achieve what it is you want to achieve. Even though you take hits, you have to keep focus on your priorities and keep going. I thought that was an inspiring image". The first single from the album Tenderoni was released on 14 June 2010.
Okereke sees the 'Kele' brand as a way for him to embrace his interest in dance music. "I've been into clubbing for years. I've said from the beginning I'm into dance, it gets me excited and I think this record is going to go some way to prove that to people, hopefully." - Kele Okereke
In September 2011 it was announced that Kele would be releasing a follow up to The Boxer; an EP titled The Hunter.
On 23 July 2014 Kele announced his second solo album, entitled Trick, to be released on his own label Lilac Records via Kobalt Label Services on 13 October 2014.
He released his third album Fatherland on 6 October 2017 under his full name Kele Okereke. The album features the singles Streets Been Talking and Grounds For Resentment feat. Olly Alexander. Fatherland also features the duet Versions of Us with Grammy-winning English singer and songwriter Corinne Bailey Rea
In January 2019, Leave to Remain a new musical written by Okereke and Matt Jones debuted in London. Announced in September 2018, the musical about an interracial gay couple was preceded by the single Not the Drugs Talking which showed a move back towards beats following the more acoustic Fatherland. Telling a love story through the Prism of Brexit, the new show is accompanied by a tie-in album of new songs. Speaking about the subject matter and his feelings on the UK in 2019, Okereke claimed that “It’s not a time that I’ve been proud to be British. It’s an ugly time”.
www.iamkele.com
Release Me
Kele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You would get...
You can only try your best
It would be enough
If you gone to stare out the summer
You would get...
You can only try your best
But it would be enough
Chorus:
Release me
Release me from your love
Release me
Release me from this love
I...
I cannot make you dream
I can kiss away all this scars
But I can't relieve again
Sometimes you... sometimes you bad
... too warm and make you... your game okay
Chorus:
Release me
Release me from your love
Release me
Release me from this love
I you gotta know
... release me
Release me from your love
Chorus:
Release me
Release me from your love
Release me
Release me from this love
The lyrics of Kele's song "Release Me" convey a sense of emotional hardship and the need for detachment. The opening lines, "If you come to say, You would get... You can only try your best, It would be enough," suggest a conversation between two people in which one is trying to reassure the other that they are doing their best. The subsequent line, "If you gone to stare out the summer, You would get... You can only try your best, But it would be enough," seems to build on this idea of attempting to cope with difficult emotions. The chorus, "Release me from your love," echoes the desire not to be trapped or tied down by the intensity of a romantic bond.
The return of the phrase, "I cannot make you dream, I can kiss away all this scars, But I can't relieve again," suggests a feeling of powerlessness in the face of emotional pain. The stanza that follows, "Sometimes you... sometimes you bad, ... too warm and make you... your game okay," implies that the love in question may be toxic or difficult to navigate. Overall, the song seems to be a plea for space and distance as a means of healing from damaging emotional ties.
Line by Line Meaning
If you come to say
If you approach me to express something
You would get...
You would receive my attention
You can only try your best
You should put in maximum effort
It would be enough
That would suffice
If you gone to stare out the summer
If you plan to spend time loitering during summer
But it would be enough
That would be passable
Chorus: Release me Release me from your love Release me Release me from this love
Release me from the relationship
I... I cannot make you dream
I cannot make you experience good dreams
I can kiss away all this scars
I can help you deal with your emotional wounds
But I can't relieve again
But I cannot make it go away permanently
Sometimes you... sometimes you bad
You sometimes act in a negative way
... too warm and make you... your game okay
You become too affectionate and thus let your guard down
I you gotta know... release me
You need to understand that I need to be released from this relationship
Chorus: Release me Release me from your love Release me Release me from this love
Release me from the relationship
Contributed by Ella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.