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A Soulful Reflection on Grief, Love, and Legacy, Marking a New Chapter in Elmiene’s Journey.
British-Sudanese soul sensation, Elmiene unveils his most vulnerable single and video to date “Cry Against The Wind” out now via Polydor / Def Jam Recordings. The emotional spine of the new record – produced by Andrew Aged, a key collaborator of Mk.gee and Buddy Ross (Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, Travis Scott) – is rooted in a raw and unfiltered reflection of grief, guilt, and the complex ache of loving someone who has never quite been within reach. “Cry Against The Wind” is accented by a cathartic visual set in a dim, wind-torn corridor that embodies the song’s emotional narrative through stark and symbolic imagery, with Elmiene aged up in prosthetics created by Malina Stearns, Nadia Lee Cohen’s lead special effects make up artist.
Built on a slow haunting ballad that blooms into a pulse-driven swell by the entrance of a kick drum, “Cry Against The Wind” traces the steps of Elmiene’s evolving relationship with his late father, Jameel. The song unravels looming tension and unflinching honesty with an intro of lyrics stating “Afraid you’d call again to tell the same old stories / I know I can’t pretend but this back and forth it bores me.” He then goes on to state “…think it’s really real / I hate you, my Jameel / But I’d watch the whole world drown to see you cry again.” The song emerges as both an apology and an admission wrapped in contradiction, resentment, remorse and most importantly love. The video emphasizes these emotions with Elmiene disguised as father only to switch midway back to himself while toggling between visible resistance and yearning in the midst of a tumultuous windstorm.
“This song is about crippling guilt. It’s about a mistake that I know is too late to truly be forgiven for. We all sometimes have to live with things we can’t fix but acknowledging and accepting that is heavy, like a strong wind you can never turn away from,” comments Elmiene.
“Cry Against The Wind” marks an emotional turning point in his artistic journey by echoing the effects of his father’s presence and absence throughout his life. He first debuted the song at his sold-out O2 Academy Brixton show in London, UK on December 4th and delivers it on the heels of his most recent release Heat The Streets Some Mo’ a remix EP of his highly acclaimed mixtape Heat The Streets. Heat The Streets Some Mo’ host remix features from legendary rapper Ghostface Killah, Grammy-Award Winning singer/songwriter Muni Long, and singer/songwriter Jordan Ward.
Heat The Streets receiving playlisting love from BBC Radio 1Xtra and Tune of the Week on BBC Radio 1, a special nod of excitement from notable R&B songstress, Kehlani as well as “Damage Control” making its live performance debut on Apple Music’s The Ebro Show. In addition to the 3 remixes, Elmiene delivers brand new track “By Now” – a melodic reflection of trying to move on from a past flame. An early version of ‘By Now’ first debuted in Live From 525 (skip to 13:19), which created the blueprint for Elmiene’s Live From___ series of intimate shows.
Elmiene’s recent run of live shows feel like bucket list accolades: he performed at the BET Awards, played at the Roots Picnic, and supported Stevie Wonder at BST Hyde Park. His iconic NPR Tiny Desk Concert recently surpassed 1 million viewers, and his interview on The Terrell Show found further reverence for Elmiene’s R&B credentials when he impressed viewers by singing Uncle Sam’s “I Don’t Ever Want To See You Again.” Last month, he performed at Spotify’s “RNB X Live” in NYC as well as had his special “Live From” intimate performances in Brooklyn, Toronto, Houston, Charlotte and Atlanta. He has been named an Artist To Watch on a handful of platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, MTV, NME Magazine, The Guardian, BBC and more – and is gearing up to be a top familiar face on the music scene throughout 2026 and beyond.
Elmiene’s moving new single Cry Against The Wind has just been added to Scoope’s Neo Velvet Playlist. Tap follow, drop a like, and share the vibe to keep soulful R&B flowing.
ABOUT ELMIENE:
After breaking through in 2023 with his El-Mean and Marking My Time EPs, the BRIT-nominated musician had a prolific 2024 with two more original EPs Anyway I Can and For The Deported as well as two live releases Live at RAK Studios and Live from 525 – the latter comprising covers of tracks by Frank Ocean, Prince and Cleo Sol. This year his This Is The Remix EP saw his own tracks reimagined by Timbaland, Blxst and IAMNOBODI.
Elmiene has been embraced by a global community of creatives – collaborating with some of the most sought-after names in music including Leon Thomas, ASAP Ferg, Syd, Sampha, Lil Silva, D’Mile, Dahi and Stormzy – and hotly tipped by press and tastemakers with coverage in Dazed, The Guardian, The Face, NME, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone and Complex. He received a nomination for the BRITs Rising Star Award and the Ivor Novello Rising Star Award, plus he was shortlisted as one of the artist to watch on the BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2024 poll, VEVO, MTV, Pandora Music, BBC 1Xtra and Ticketmaster.
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