Smokey Danger Teams Up with NAO For New Single ‘Dear God’

After suffering with a range of mental health problems, including loss of speech, Essex based rapper, MC and vocalist Smokey Danger releases his hauntingly honest debut single ‘Dear God’, as an ode to his road to recovery and the impact religion has had on his life. With the assistance of London based mental health charity and record label ‘Key Changes’, Smokey managed to not only regain his ability to speak, but was also given the opportunity to express his experiences through both rap and singing.

‘Dear God’ manages to encapsulate an ethereal musicality throughout, drawing similarities to the heartfelt, sincere vocal lines and harrowing electronic instrumentation of artists such as Sampha. The honesty within the track is apparent from it’s opening, which feels appropriately stripped back, before building its layers as it progresses.

Joining Smokey on the track is his younger sister, and Mercury Prize nominee, NAO, who elevates the song with her instantly recognisable, silken tones and effortless harmonies with her brother.

‘Dear God’ progresses from a simplistic opening, to a multilayered soundscape of warmth and honesty, which is redolent to Smokey’s own journey with his mental health, steadily improving as time passes.

The finale of the track utilises punchy drums paired with a playful synth line to generate an optimistic instrumentation, amplified by the unified vocals of Smokey and NAO.

Smokey Danger’s self titled first album utilises ‘Dear God’ as it’s opening track, with it’s placing here seeming to act as a ‘calm before the storm’ scenario, being followed by six tracks consisting of an eclectic mixture of jungle, drum and bass and electro-rap.

It’s clear from the existence of ‘Dear God’ that Smokey Danger isn’t afraid of experimentation of form, enabling him to capture a diverse spectrum of sounds from a variety of genres within one product, suggesting an intriguing future as to where Smokey will take his sound next.