Charlie Simpson has release new EP ‘Kifaru’ following his win as Rhino on ‘The Masked Singer’ on ITV on Saturday night.
‘Kifaru’ is the Swahili word for rhino and the new EP features songs that Simpson performed as his alter-ego during his time on the show. The title of the EP holds further significance for Simpson whose wife Anna grew up in Kenya, where Swahili is the official language.
Simpson says, “I had such a good time on ‘The Masked Singer’, it was such a crazy ride. I decided to release some of my favourite songs from the show but in a very stripped-back way, which also captures the ethos of my latest solo record ‘Hope Is A Drug’, which is my most intimate album yet. I have also added an entirely new version of ‘I See You’, which was my first release from ‘Hope Is A Drug’. I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
‘Kifaru’ features stripped-down versions of three songs that Simpson performed including Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Before You Go’, Kings of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ and Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’. The EP also includes one of Simpson’s own songs, ‘I See You’, which showcases his abilities not only as a singer but as a songwriter too.
‘I See You’ was written by Simpson alongside Nick Atkinson (Lewis Capaldi, Dean Lewis) and Martin Luke Brown (BTS, Jacob Banks) with production from Phil Gornell (Bring Me The Horizon, All Time Low). The other three songs were all solely produced and mixed by Simpson.
The Busted and Fightstar star’s win on ‘The Masked Singer’ was watched by an audience of 5.7 million. It adds to his already lengthy list of achievements, which includes four number 1 singles as part of Busted and four Top 3 hits plus two albums that were certified multi-Platinum.
