“Man in the Mirror”, the new single from Fred Gata, is out now. I co-produced it with Poldoore, and I’m really proud of how it turned out.
Fred is a Rwandan-Belgian artist who blends hip-hop and soul, and his voice is rough and smooth at the same time. Since winning both the jury and audience prize at Sound Track in 2023, he has opened for Kae Tempest and Dermot Kennedy and keeps getting stronger live.
For this track we went for a laid-back groove with warm horns, soft ad-libs and plenty of room for Fred’s voice. Underneath that groove is a clear message: “What you gonna do when the man in the mirror don’t fuck with you?” The answer comes right after: “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Dansende Beren called it “een schot in de roos” (a bull’s-eye). And there’s more coming: “Man in the Mirror” leads up to Fred’s upcoming album.