MNEK on writing smash hits, battling self-doubt and his solo struggles: ‘I’m a fat Black gay man. Try selling that’ — SkimNews
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- MNEK released "Bulldozer!!," his first solo album in eight years, following 2018 debut "Language" which peaked at #81 on the UK chart
- As a writer-producer, MNEK has worked with Beyoncé, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Little Mix and Flo, and earned his second Grammy nomination this year for co-writing/producing Zara Larsson's "Midnight Sun"
- His songs "Never Forget You" (with Zara Larsson) and "Head & Heart" (with Joel Corry, 2020) have amassed more than 1bn streams; he signed his first publishing deal at age 14
- MNEK blames homophobia and racism for "Language's" muted response: "I am a fat Black gay man. Try and sell that."
- His request to sample Lethal Bizzle's "Pow!" for "Reverse!!" was denied clearance because of the track's queer lyrical content, a dynamic he says proves "queerness is a no-go area in a lot of these communities"
- New single "Muscle Marys.." tackles toxic male body standards in the gay community, with MNEK recounting a hookup who publicly rated him on Twitter as "not that attractive"
- The album title "Bulldozer" was chosen to confront his self-consciousness about his size as a 6'4 Black man; tracks like "The Wall!!" address self-doubt ("Six foot four and I still got growing pains")
Why it matters: MNEK has co-written some of the biggest pop hits of the past decade but says the industry treats his identity — fat, Black, gay — as commercially unsellable for his own solo work. The denied sample clearance for Lethal Bizzle's "Pow!" shows even a Grammy-nominated songwriter hits walls when explicit queerness clashes with grime and UK garage gatekeepers, making "Bulldozer!!" a direct challenge to that ceiling.
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