Shut Up (Stormzy song)

"Shut Up"
Single by Stormzy
Released 11 September 2015
Format Digital download
Genre
Length 3:00
Label Stormzy
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • XTC
Stormzy singles chronology
"WickedSkengMan 4"
(2015)		 "Shut Up"
(2015)

"Shut Up" is a song by English MC Stormzy. The song was released independently for digital download in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2015 as part of the "WickedSkengMan 4" single.[1] It was produced by XTC and written by Stormzy.[2] "Shut Up" was originally released as a freestyle video in May 2015 but gained popularity over the year.

The song initially entered at number 59 on the UK Singles Chart in September 2015, however following a Christmas number 1 campaign the song rose to number 8.[3][4][5]

Background

The instrumental to the song was produced by grime producer XTC, titled "Functions on the Low", popularised by grime collective Ruff Sqwad's song "Havana", and had since become one of the most well-known grime instrumentals.[6] "Shut Up" was initially only available as a freestyled performance on YouTube in May 2015. Due to the popularity of the song, a studio version was recorded and released alongside the "WickedSkengMan 4" single, which entered and peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It became Stormzy's first top 40 entry.

Christmas number 1 campaign

On December 12, 2015, Stormzy performed "Shut Up" during British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua's ring-walk for his fight versus Dillian Whyte.[7] After the performance, the song climbed up the iTunes chart and into the top 40. As a result, Stormzy launched a Christmas number 1 campaign on December 13 to get the song to number 1 in order to rival with The X Factor winner's single "Forever Young" by Louisa Johnson.[8] "Shut Up" ultimately entered higher than "Forever Young" by one position.

Freestyle video

On May 17, 2015, a performed version of "Shut Up" was uploaded onto Stormzy's YouTube channel. The freestyle video was shot by Jaiden Ramgeet in a South London car park. The video gradually gained millions of views and has reached 17 millions views as of December 18, 2015, which is what led to its studio mastering and digital release.[9][10][11][12]

Track listing

Digital download[1]
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "WickedSkengMan 4 (Studio Version)"  Michael OmariJme 3:14
2. "Shut Up (Studio Version)"  Michael OmariXTC 3:00
Total length:
 6:14

Chart performance

On September 24, 2015, "Shut Up" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 59, while its partnered single "WickedSkengMan 4" entered and peaked at number 18 in the same week. Following the Christmas number 1 campaign, "Shut Up" rose from number 99 to number 8 on December 18, 2015, becoming Stormzy's highest-charting single. The song charted at number 1 on the UK R&B Chart and number 3 on the UK Indie Chart.[13]

Charts

Chart (2015–16) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 79
UK Indie (Official Charts Company)[15] 3
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[16] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 8

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Worldwide September 11, 2015 Stormzy Digital download

References

  1. 1 2 "WickedSkengMan 4 - Single by Stormzy". iTunes. December 18, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ "The lost grime anthem behind Stormzy’s Shut Up". Red Bull. December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Grime MC Stormzy launches campaign for Christmas No 1". The Guardian. December 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Stormzy And Twitter Want #ShutUpForXmasNo1". Capital XTRA. December 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Odds on Stormzy getting Christmas Number One cut following 'Shut Up' boxing performance". NME. December 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Who is Stormzy sending for on new freestyle 'Shut Up'?". GRMDaily. December 18, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Watch Stormzy Perform ‘Shut Up’ During British Heavyweight Title Boxing Match". Capital XTRA. December 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ "#ShutUpForXMasNo1 LET'S DO THIS BUN X FACTOR!!!". Twitter. December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  9. ↑ "STORMZY [@STORMZY1] - SHUT UP". YouTube. December 18, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Stormzy freestyles new song 'Shut Up'". NME. December 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Stormzy Sets Pace With A New Freestyle Called "Shut Up"". Complex. December 18, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Stormzy drops new freestyle 'Shut Up'". Crack Magazine. December 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Stormzy - Official Chart History". Official Charts. December 18, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 4, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2015-12-18" UK Indie Chart. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  16. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2015-12-18" UK R&B Chart. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  17. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2015-12-18" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
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