After meeting at a Women in Audio networking event at Spitfire Audio and discovering they had similar musical influences (The 1975, The Japanese House, James Blake), Normae and Fiona Hope started to collaborate at Normae’s home studio.
With Fiona Hope on vocals and Normae on production, ‘i don’t think u do’ has evolved into a downtempo alternative R&B track with feminist undertones. While the lyrics don’t directly reference it, ‘i don’t think u do’ evolved in light of a discussion about the power dynamics of an abusive relationship.
Fiona Hopes says, “For a really long time I was struggling to produce the sound that I liked. I end up writing things that weren’t anything I’d listen to myself and it really helped to break that barrier by working with someone with similar influences and skills in the studio. I’m really proud of this track because I think it’s carved out the sonic identity I wanted to portray for so long and lyrically, it’s not just another love song, but more of a song that illustrates strength rather than defeat in lost love.”
Normae adds, “Most of my production work was related to film projects thus far. I always wanted to put stuff out as an artist and break new barriers in an industry where female producers aren’t usually found at the same level of success as Diplo or Calvin Harris. Moving to London on my own was scary at first, but really gave me the opportunity to perfect my craft and find my sound.”
You can listen to 'i don't think u do' here.