Romy Madley Croft of The xx released a new song, “Strong,” featuring Fred Again.. on November 14, 2022. Also, Vic Lentaigne, Romy’s wife, helped her in shooting and producing the music video, as well as being the filmmaker and the photographer.
This summer, Romy played her 2nd solo release for fans at club gigs and festivals all over the world after Fred again.. 1st previewed it in a Boiler Room set earlier this year. “Strong” came after a few prior collaborations, especially on Fred’s “Lights Out” and Romy’s debut single “Lifetime” which were highly praised releases in 2020.
“”Strong” was inspired by a time in my life when I was dealing with past grief. As I was writing the song’s lyrics, I was thinking of my cousin Luis because we both shared the trauma of losing our mothers when we were young. I saw him in the same condition as me, which was to hide my feelings and put on a strong face. The song was a way to relate to these emotions, offer encouragement, and ultimately seek comfort in the joy of music. It was incredibly nice that Luis joined me on the single cover and in the music video as well,” admitted Romy.
“My friendship with Fred is very important to me. Our friendship makes me feel secure to write lyrics that are honest and emotional, and we connect through our shared passion of dance music’s emotions and songwriting. I’m very excited to be releasing this song with Fred since it’s great and motivating to see and hear what he does in his solo work,” continued Romy.
Romy’s most recent release of “emotional music to dance to” is “Strong.” Romy wrote this song as a tribute to the club as a place of healing and community. It was meant to be played loudly, in the gathering of friends and family. The song was produced by Fred again.., Romy, and Stuart Price. It also combined Romy’s timeless songwriting and lyricism with her sonic inspirations from club classics, Ibiza house.
