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Who Am I (Berwyn album)

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Who Am I
Berwyn and a young boy surrounded by suitcases, two with the UK and Trinidadian flags on them, in front of a council estate building.
Studio album by
Berwyn
Released12 July 2024 (2024-07-12)
Length33:52
LabelColumbia
ProducerBerwyn
Berwyn chronology
Tape 2/Fomalhaut
(2021) 		Who Am I
(2024)
Singles from Who Am I
  1. "Neighbors"
    Released: 26 April 2024
  2. "I Am Black"
    Released: 14 May 2024
  3. "Dear Immigration"
    Released: 11 June 2024

Who Am I is the debut studio album by Trinidad-born, London-based musician Berwyn, released on 12 July 2024 through Columbia Records. It received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for the 2024 Mercury Prize.[1]

Release

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On 8 April 2024, Fred Again released the track "BerwynGesaffNeighbours" featuring Gesaffelstein and Berwyn.[2][3] Berwyn released an alternate version of the track titled "Neighbors" on 26 April 2024.[4] On 14 May 2024, he released the single "I Am Black."[5][6][7] On 11 June 2024, Berwyn announced the album's track list and release date, alongside the third single, "Dear Immigration."[8][9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic95/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY[11]
MusicOMH[12]
The Observer[13]
The Skinny[14]

Who Am I was met with critical acclaim upon release, receiving a score of 95 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic.[10]

Ed Lawson of DIY described it as a "record that's as skilled in pop immediacy as it is emotional expression; a lyrical gaze that looks as deeply inside as out" and Berwyn "an artist who, on this debut album, can seemingly do just about anything".[11] Ben Devlin of MusicOMH characterised Who Am I as "a relatively brief selection of tracks [that] contains a lot of autobiographical heft, as he works through topics of race, insecurity and excess over surprisingly versatile production".[12] The Observer's Damien Morris wrote that it "cuts a prickly path between the experimental rawness of Mercury-nominated mixtape Demotape/Vega and its excellent sequel Tape 2/Fomalhaut's smoother entreaties" as well as remarking that "the ferocity of Berwyn's talent and the piercing beauty of his crackling, folk-R&B croon mean these heavy topics are never a burden".[13] Reviewing the album for The Skinny, Rhys Morgan called it "declarative" as "the candid expression of his previous work remains, now finessed into a towering major label debut".[14]

Track listing

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All tracks written and produced by Berwyn Du Bois unless listed.

Who Am I track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bad Thing"  2:04
2."Who Am I"
2:48
3."I Am Black"  3:38
4."All She Ever Wanted" 
  • Berwyn
  • Brooklyn Decent
2:06
5."Hate"
  • Berwyn
  • Duke.
3:19
6."Dear Immigration"  2:38
7."Neighbours"
  • Du Bois
  • F. Gibson
Fred again..3:06
8."Meet Me by the River"  1:38
9."I'm Drowning"  3:35
10."Love Is Blind" 
  • Berwyn
  • Decent
2:50
11."Without You"  1:37
12."Mama"
4:33
Total length:33:52

References

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  1. ^ "2024 Mercury Prize 'Albums of the Year' revealed". Mercury Prize. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ Heffler, Jason (10 April 2024). "Fred again.. Reworks Gesaffelstein Classic in Haunting New Single: Listen". EDM.com. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (15 April 2024). "All The Best New Music From This Week That You Need To Hear". UPROXX. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ Wescott, Andrew (28 April 2024). "BERWYN releases new single 'Neighbours'". Dork. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  5. ^ Murray, Robin (15 May 2024). "Berwyn Shares Powerful Single 'I Am Black' | News". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  6. ^ Williams, Kyann-Sian (16 May 2024). "Listen to BERWYN's unapologetic new single 'I AM BLACK'". NME. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Berwyn unveils new single, "I AM BLACK"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  8. ^ DAILY, GRM (11 June 2024). "BERWYN announces debut album with "DEAR IMMIGRATION"". GRM Daily. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  9. ^ Strauss, Matthew (11 June 2024). "Berwyn Announces Debut Album, Shares New "Dear Immigration" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Who Am I by Berwyn Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b Lawson, Ed (15 July 2024). "Berwyn – Who Am I review". DIY. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b Devlin, Ben (15 July 2024). "Berwyn – Who I Am | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  13. ^ a b Morris, Damien (12 July 2024). "Berwyn: Who I Am review – should be on the national curriculum". The Observer. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b Morgan, Rhys (9 July 2024). "Berwyn – Who Am I album review". The Skinny. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
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Further reading

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