MNEK unveils the proudly gay artwork for debut album ‘Language’
The 23-year-old has released new track 'Crazy World' ahead of the record's release on September 7.
By Will Stroude
After giving us the slick, sexually-charged beats of ‘Tongue’ and a bona fide Pride anthem in form of ‘Colour’, MNEK has unveiled the proudly gay artwork for his long-awaited debut album Language.
The record’s cover art shows the 23-year-old singer, real name Uzo Emenike, embracing another man on the cover, in an arresting display which proves why the former Attitude Award winner remains one music’s most exciting queer artists right now.
Language, set for release on September 7, features 16-tracks including ‘Tongue’, ‘Colour’, ‘Paradise’ and brand new single ‘Crazy World’, which the singer dropped on Friday (August 17) to coincide with the announcement.
Explaining the meaning behind the album’s title on Instagram, MNEK wrote: “I’ve called it Language because for me this album has been about me learning the language of what it is yo be a young man in the world, a young man in love, a young man out of love, and also finding out what my real purpose in the industry is.
“This is still the beginning for me as a recording artist and I really feel there’s so much more for me to learn about all of this.”
The London-born star, who made his name writing and producing for the likes of Beyoncé, Madonna and Kylie Minogue as a teenager before scoring UK Top 5 hits with collaborations like ‘Ready for Your Love’ and ‘Never Forget You’, added that he hoped Language would showcase his individuality as a solo artist.
“I wanted to give people a chance to learn about me, hear my influences through this record and really get a vibe of my personality, happiness, my sadness, my curiosity, my Scorpio tendencies, or whatever – but in a way that I haven’t [been] able to showcase before in my previous work”, he wrote.
MNEK will mark the release of Language with tour dates in Manchester, Birmingham and London on October 9, 10 and 11 respectively.
Check out the album’s tracklist below:
1. Background
2. Correct
3. Tongue
4. Gibberish (Interlude)
5. Phone
6. Colour (feat. Hailee Steinfeld)
7. Body
8. Honeymoon Phaze
9. Language
10. Hearsay (Interlude)
11. Girlfriend
12. Paradise
13. Crazy World
14. Be (Interlude)
15. Free
16. Touched By You