Rudimental probably didn’t expect to go head-to-head with Drake again on the album charts, but, here we are.
The Feel The Love hitmakers have dropped their new album, Ground Control, today and no doubt thought they’d be free and clear of serious competition.
But then Drake decided to announce almost last minute that his delayed album, Certified Lover Boy, would be released the same Friday and it was like deja vu for Rudimental.
Speaking about their history of chart battles, the group’s songwriter and producer Amir Amor told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s not the first time we’ve gone head-to-head with Drake.
‘We had eight weeks at number one with These Days and I think it was Hotline Bling that knocked us off so we’ve been battling for a long time.’
When jokingly asked if Drake’s got beef with the drum and bass collective, Amir laughed: ‘Exactly, he just decides to put out songs [on our release day] but we both got the number one eventually.
‘But it’s all fun. Looking forward to it. He’s in his own world anyway nowadays.’
Amir sees the new streaming era of the music industry bittersweet – on the one hand, Rudimental have amassed more than a billion streams of their anthems on Spotify alone, but leaves a sense of nostalgia for the pre-digital days.
‘People are paying less attention to the charts in the streaming world,’ he noted.
‘We see our fans out there when we’re playing so it’s like the relevance of that world feels like it’s diminished quite a lot.
‘It’s all dependant on other factors outside of music now, there’s a lot of celebrity, a lot of things on TV, people are gonna stream it, it’s kind of lost that thing it used to have for me.
‘When I was growing up I used to watch Top of the Pops every Friday and I was mad excited to see what’s in the top 10, top 20, but those days are gone.’
Rudimental recorded Ground Control, their fourth studio album, in lockdown, a time where most artists panicked about not being able to hit the road.
However, it meant the group would be able to catch their breath after touring almost continually for the past nine years.
‘From the very beginning, we went from venues with maybe 200 people then after Feel The Love came out, we were doing venues with 20,000 people and from there it’s only gotten bigger,’ Amir said.
‘We haven’t landed so to speak since our first album so to have some time, albeit forced and reluctant at first, to be at home and make the most of it was a blessing and we managed to make an entire album.’
He continued of lockdown: ‘Even the things that I didn’t necessarily think [I needed], I was getting a bit tired of the travelling and stuff, you need all of that to feed your creativity. It did have its difficulties at first but we quickly realised this is a good chance to make some music and not fly everyday.’
Rudimental’s new album, Ground Control, is out now.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Kanye West ready to end Drake beef – if rapper doesn’t diss him on Certified Lover Boy album
MORE : What does Drake’s Certified Lover Boy album cover mean?
0 Commentaires