Blinded By Your Grace Pt.2 – Stormzy Ft. MNEK

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Blinded By Your Grace Pt.2 – Stormzy Ft. MNEK



I sat down to watch another BBC4 music documentary, this time it was Mica Paris reconnecting herself to her Gospel upbringing. She picked out six Gospel songs that between them explained the history and meaning of where Gospel music comes from and how it’s gone full circle yet again and become contemporary. This is mostly down to the Grimm scene and artists like Stormzy, along with increased notoriety thanks to Harry and Megan's wedding featuring a Gospel group.

It was a very interesting watch, funny how to see how American and English choirs interpreted the standard Amazing Grace so differently. Then it explained Gospel's connection to the American slaves and how it helped develop into Blues music. But the most surprising thing for me was the whole Grimm thing, showing my musical ignorance. Mica references Stormzy's performance at Glastonbury in 2019, a set I watched at home, purely out of interest as not being a big fan but very intrigued about the next huge young music scene. Then I happened to have a Now complication with this song on it, it's one of them random songs that kept coming to the top of my shuffle playlists.

I think the feel and staging of this song is very cool but not for one second would I have called it a Gospel song, only Mica pointing out how many religious references there are in there that I fell in. Mica herself was a big star of the 80s who had her own struggles with getting her devil music out into the world. Songs like My One Temptation weren’t exactly satanic but her old gospel following didn’t approve. A similar struggle as one of her heroes Sam Cook had, another artist who I think is very underrated.

But I also have a lot of respect for Stormzy who has used his fame for the good, doing lots of stuff for charity and giving out a positive life message. This song is very powerful and obviously connects massively with it's target audience.


Favorite lyric : And the rain was pouring, 'cause the sun faded away / Now I'm in a better place, no longer afraid
Location: Rayleigh, UK

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