Akil Wingate Says We Are

Faithful Rough music readers might simply know me as your friendly neighborhood music aficionado. But for the past 2 years, I have been toiling behind the lens of a camera, directing and filming a rather ambitious and head-racking visual album. BEAST is an upcoming mini-series that is a modern urban adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde. And its soundtrack is what I like to call rock 'n soul. Maxwell meets Lenny Kravitz.

Well lo and behold, the first single from the project has dropped. WE ARE is a stripped back soulful pop single, one part spiritual awakening, one part love ballad. And the result is an 808 that pounds through the speakers, a rousing chorale that sounds like a church revival, and a simple piano that brings all the elements together in one fell swoop. It's midtempo bliss to rouse you out of bed...or lead you and yours to it.

For my part as a singer-songwriter and filmmaker, I've been both behind the curtain and on the stage, having a long list of chart collabs with music heavyweights like David Guetta (Save My Soul), Tristan Garner (Give Love), Avicii (Classic), Robert M (All Day All Night and For Love), and recent work in studio with Bob Sinclar and a number of TV series. Now Rough readers can get a first listen and look at the lyric video for We Are to be lifted from the forthcoming visual album here. The single is out everywhere now. Get acquainted.