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
What Did I Do
Kele Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because I didn't want to feel this
And I'm not gonna fall apart, I won't
Because you promised me forever
Like a fool I believed you
Now I cry and I think of all I can say to keep you here
What did I do wrong boy
What did I do
What did I do wrong
I don't know what I did
I don't know what I said
Just tell me the words and I'll sing them
What did I do
What did I do wrong
What did I do wrong
What did I
Even if you won't say so
Baby I can feel the pain grow
Even if you won't say so, it's changed
And your voice called on the phone
And the lies that can fool
With your hand on my jeans as you squeeze my thigh, but your kiss is frozen
What did I do
What did I do wrong boy
What did I do
What did I do wrong
I don't know what I did
I don't know what I said
Just tell me the words and I'll sing them
What did I do
What did I do wrong
What did I do wrong
What did I
What did I do
What did I do
What did I do wrong boy
What did I do
What did I do wrong
I don't know what I did
I don't know what I said
Just tell me the words and I'll sing them
What did I do
What did I do wrong
The lyrics of Kele's song What Did I Do paints a picture of a confused and heartbroken individual who is trying to figure out what went wrong in their relationship. The first two lines of the song reveal the conflict within the individual: they love their partner but they don't want to feel the pain of losing them. They fear that if they let go, they will fall apart. The following lines reveal that their partner had promised them forever, but now they are crying and trying to think of anything they can do to keep them from leaving.
The chorus is a repetitive plea for answers, the individual is desperate to know what they did wrong. They confess that they don't know what they did or said that caused their partner to leave. The individual offers to sing any words their partner suggests, but they just want to know what they did wrong. The bridge of the song shows the individual thinking about their partner, even though they are not communicating. They are still in pain, and their partner's lies only made it worse. The phrase "your kiss is frozen" describes their partner's reluctance to show affection.
In summary, the song conveys a feeling of helplessness and confusion. The individual is heartbroken and wants answers to what went wrong, but their partner is not forthcoming.
Line by Line Meaning
And I didn't want to let you
I didn't want to let you go
Because I didn't want to feel this
Because I didn't want to feel the heartache
And I'm not gonna fall apart, I won't
I won't let this break me down
Because you promised me forever
You made a promise of forever to me
Like a fool I believed you
I believed your promise foolishly
Now I cry and I think of all I can say to keep you here
Now I cry and try to think of anything I could say to make you stay
What did I do
What did I do to cause this
What did I do wrong boy
What did I do wrong to you
I don't know what I did
I truly don't know what I did
I don't know what I said
I truly don't know what I said
Just tell me the words and I'll sing them
Just tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it
Even if you won't say so
Even if you won't admit it
Baby I can feel the pain grow
I can feel the pain growing inside of me
Even if you won't say so, it's changed
Even if you won't say anything, I know that things have changed
And your voice called on the phone
I heard your voice on the phone
And the lies that can fool
And the lies that used to fool me
With your hand on my jeans as you squeeze my thigh, but your kiss is frozen
You touch me intimately, but your kiss is cold and distant
What did I do
What did I do to deserve this treatment
What did I do wrong boy
What did I do wrong to you
I don't know what I did
I truly don't know what I did
I don't know what I said
I truly don't know what I said
Just tell me the words and I'll sing them
Just tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it
What did I do wrong
What did I do wrong to make you treat me this way
What did I
What did I do to make you leave
What did I do
What did I do to cause this pain
What did I do wrong boy
What did I do wrong to deserve this treatment from you
I don't know what I did
I truly don't know what I did
I don't know what I said
I truly don't know what I said
Just tell me the words and I'll sing them
Just tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it
What did I do wrong
What did I do to make you treat me this way
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KELE OKEREKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@djmikeet7345
2020 and still loving this tune
@zakkybounce
2021 and I agree!
@rhys1008
2022, same! still love it!!
@danielasierra5135
2023...
@drewbrown6517
Still my favorite dubstep after all these years
@kevincrayon
love this track! stayed in my head for weeks. plus the video moves to the music just right. even though the visuals are simple as hell with no storyline, the cuts are perfect. simply genius
@YesTHATname
I really like this, his new EP is gonna be so good! Kele & Bloc Party forever!
@ravernomus
This video reminds of good old 90's!!! Not a big fan of dubstep but this one is awesome!
@gusbakker
good combination between a beautiful female voice and a great dubstep. We want more of this
@YoshiBanosheePie
Can't get over how amazing this tune is!