“Never Be like You” by Flume (ft. Kai)
Most simply explained, the vocalist is asking for forgiveness from her ex – for him to take her back basically. It’s rare that we come across a song where a female vocalist humbles herself to such a degree. But said vocalist, Kai, has explained that the lyrics are based on a deeper, more general concept. According to her, it centers on the common human tendency to self-sabotage our own happiness.
So in this case, it is revealed that the way the vocalist initially messed up with the addressee is by being more materially-minded than grounded in their romance. It is such a disposition which, by the looks of things, resulted in her dumping him for another dude. But alas, said dude can “never be like” the addressee himself, replicating the love he rendered in the singer’s life, which is why she is begging him to come back.
“Never Be like You” Facts
Primary Artist(s): Flume
Featured Artist(s): Kai
Album/EP: “Skin”
When was “Never Be Like You” released?
On January 16 of 2016, Flume released this song as the 2nd single from his “Skin” album.
Writing/Production
It was written and produced by Flume and Kai with support from Geoffrey Patrick Earley.
What genre(s) is “Never Be Like You”?
The song can be considered to belong to the Alternative R&B genre as well as the Future Bass genre.
Nomination at the Grammys
The song was nominated for the award, “Best Dance/Electronic Recording” at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017. It lost to “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers featuring Daya. The following songs also lost that award:
- Bob Moses’ “Tearing Me Up”
- Riton ft. Kah-Lo’s “Rinse & Repeat”
- Sofi Tukker’s “Drinkee”
Other Accolade(s)
“Never Be Like You” made Rolling Stone’s list of the best songs of 2016.
Chart Performance
- US – 20
- UK – 95
- Sweden – 1
- New Zealand – 2
- Latvia – 7
- Belgium – 10
- Australia – 1
Flume’s “Skin” Album
May 27 of 2016 is the official issuance date for Flume’s second studio project, “Skin”. The album was made public through Australian record label, “Future Classic” and English record label, Transgressive Record. Mom + Pop Records, an American record company, also contributed to the release of this album.
“Skin” was promoted by three powerful singles. “Never Be like You” and “Smoke & Retribution” are the first and second singles from the album. They were both issued in January of 2016. Flume collaborated with Vince Staples on the latter song.
“Say It” is the final single of this project and it was released on April 20 of 2016. This single featured Swedish musician Tove Lo.
It won Flume multiple accolades. Commercially, “Skin” enjoyed massive success in multiple regions. In the US it peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200. It reached No.25 on the UK’s official albums chart. In addition, this project was a No.1 album in countries like Australia and New Zealand. In Canada, this album reached No.8. Furthermore, it went Gold in the US and received Platinum certification in Australia.
