R&B veteran Craig David has joined forces with Queen of Afrobeats Tiwa Savage for his new single “Commitment.”
The Mike Brainchild production, which blends Afrobeats, pop and R&B, paints a vignette of a couple experiencing a rough patch in their relationship. David sings from the perspective of a man who feels his efforts aren’t being noticed.
“Every time I show you vibes you cannot see it / Every time I tell the truth you don’t believe it / Don’t tell me what I don’t know about commitment / When I was the only one to show you different,” he sings in the chorus.
Savage appears in verse two, where she makes a case for their weakening connection: “We fell in love instantly / You’re a man on a mission / Stacking your paper / So I kept a distance babe.” But even amidst turmoil, a spark of passion still emits: “Mmm, but I still want it all night / Undo this dress, show me your might.”
In a recent interview on Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce & Shayna Marie, David shared how his collaboration with Savage came about. “The song was about commitment, about a relationship, and about what it’s like,” he said. “It’s all good — the romantic phase. But what’s it like when you’ve got to dig deep, when you’re like, ‘OK, it’s getting a bit tough here.’ And we were like, ‘But who could pan this?’ And everyone unanimously, weirdly enough, said, ‘What about Tiwa Savage?’ I said, ‘Tiwa Savage!’”
He continued, “So it all happened. So, then it was like, a case of just reaching out… She came back so graciously, and she said the other day, ‘Listen, even if the song wasn’t that great, like the 70% you’re done, I still would have jumped on it.’ I was like, ‘This is love.’ So, she jumped on it, and next thing you know, we’ve got this song that, for me, it sort of embodies both of our worlds, and it feels legit, and it hits the right spot.”
“Commitment” is David’s second single of the year, following “SOS.” He released the latter tune in mid-January, explaining, “‘SOS’ is all about that moment of feeling vulnerable, yet ready and open to taking a risk, a leap of faith to let someone know you are finally ready to let love in, however scary it may feel.”
In September 2024, Craig David released his uplifting single “In Your Hands,” also produced by Mike Brainchild.
All three tracks are expected to appear on his upcoming ninth album, which will follow his 2022 LP, 22.
As for Tiwa Savage, the Nigerian star recently released an acoustic rendition of her single “Forgiveness,” which she co-wrote with Muni Long and Theron Thomas. It will appear on her upcoming album that will release this year via Everything Savage/EMPIRE.
Stream Craig David’s new song “Commitment” featuring Tiwa Savage below.
