Today, Platinum-selling 22-year-old Manchester rapper Aitch releases his debut album, Close To Home. Listen here via Capitol Records / 10K Projects. To celebrate this milestone moment, Aitch reveals the heart-warming video for “My G” featuring Ed Sheeran, which you can watch below.
Displaying a more mature, reflective, and personal side of Aitch’s songwriting, “My G” is a loving tribute from the Manchester rapper to his 12-year-old little sister, affectionately called “G”, who has Down’s Syndrome. Paired with a music video directed by long-term visual collaborator Kelvin Jones, the visual was filmed at The Langdon Down Centre and features a moving performance from Aitch, as he reminisces viewing old childhood and family photos over a soothing silhouette of Ed Sheeran.
Setting the scene with “BelgraveRoad_1”, Close To Home showcases Aitch’s remarkable journey within hip-hop. “Fuego”, “Cheque” and “Louis Vuitton” are blessed with the rapper’s trademark lyricism and cheeky suave. He reunites with AJ Tracey on “R Kid”, while laidback summery bop “Sunshine” featuring New Machine embraces a new tangent of melodic guitar riffs.
The album’s title track “Close To Home”, which features a children’s choir, sees Aitch up close and personal, putting his private thoughts on paper for the first time. “In Disguise” featuring Bakar, the Shaun Ryder-assisted and Stone Roses-sampling “1989” and platinum-selling #2 Fred again.. produced hit “Baby” featuring R&B icon Ashanti. In fact, Ashanti and Aitch performed “Baby” together during BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2022. Watch the performance here.
When speaking about his album’s title, Aitch says: “As much as I say that I’m trying to get out of the ends, and I want to go elsewhere, I always end up back in the same place. Even across the other side of the world, I feel like I bring a sense of Manchester; whether I’m in London or Australia, I’m still Close To Home.”
Taking Close To Home on the road for the first time, Aitch will kick off a sold-out headline in the UK followed by a run in the rest of Europe early next year. On the performance front, recently Aitch was brought out as a special guest during Jack Harlow’s set at the 2022 Wireless Festival.
At only 22-years-old, the BRIT Award nominated artist is on the verge of a global breakout with Close To Home. His debut album showcases his ever-growing songwriting skills. Combining a mature and reflective side with the confident charisma he’s known for, Close To Home is a modern spin paying homage to the lineage of Manchester’s musical history, pairing rich and identifiably local flavor with global ambition. Already under his belt Aitch retains over a billion streams, over 5 million records sold worldwide, millions of followers, and co-signs from the likes of Tay Keith, Sam Smith, Skepta, and more.
Aitch – Close To Home Tracklist
- BelgraveRoad_1
- Louis Vuitton
- 1989
- Money Habits (feat. Mastermind)
- Baby feat. Ashanti
- Bring It Back
- Sunshine (feat. New Machine)
- Fuego
- Cheque
- In Disguise (feat. Bakar)
- The Palm
- 100x
- R Kid (feat. AJ Tracey)
- My G (feat. Ed Sheeran)
- Close To Home
- Hollinwood To Hollywood
