Bingkai Karya– Romy and Sampha, pals and label mates since teenage years, debut on a new record with the joint tune “I’m on your team”. Featured as “Radio 1’s “Hottest Record In The World,” the duo wrote and recorded the single in London after working on other artists’ projects their critically acclaimed 2023 albums LAHAI and Mid Air with co-producers and composers Thomas Bartlett produced and composed.
The song beautifully depicts the stages of a relationship, from the initial carefree love to the more serious and demanding long-term commitment that needs dedication and work. Romy describes the song as a love ballad with honest and true lyrics. “We’ve shared magic and dreams, but now we’re working together after a lot of experience.” I appreciate the idea of being part of a team,” says Sampha.
As a team member, you must perform for each other to build stronger relationships. The phrases “And I hope what I feel tonight, is what I feel for the rest of my life” and “I’m on your team, but I can’t always coach you” reflect the changing nature of a relationship.
The single follows years of friendship and affection between the couple, whose occupations regularly overlap. From London’s lively scene in the late 2000s, Sampha and Romy found their label home in Young and released a first album that won the UK’s Mercury Music Prize (Sampha as a solo artist and Romy as The xx). On their first North American tour, Sampha supported The xx and remixed their track “Basic Space”.
Earlier this year, Romy appeared on Sampha’s show “Wave Therapy” on Apple Music 1, where they performed together for the first time in a cover of Andre 3000’s “Me&My (To Bury My Parents)”. Both Sampha and Romy are esteemed collaborators, with Sampha working with Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Stormzy, Solange, and Frank Ocean, and Romy collaborating with Fred again…, Jessie Ware, Tom Rasmussen, Jamie xx, and writing for top pop artists.
The artist’s “I’m on your team” video showcases their working community in nowhere and includes a magnificent live rendition of the song. In the solo artwork, Wales Bonner created a unique piece to commemorate the single. Additionally, “I’m On Your Team” was the ending theme for John Crowley’s We Live In Time (A24 Films), starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.
