Over the past few years, Ed Drewett has established himself as one of the names to know on the British pop scene, responsible for three of The Wanted‘s biggest singles to date — “All Time Low,” “Lightning” and “Glad You Came” — as well as Olly Murs‘ current Top 10 UK smash, “Dear Darlin’.”
As a solo artist, however, Ed’s had less success reaching the top of the pops: Although he’s best known for a feature on Professor Green‘s 2010 hit “I Need You Tonight,” his debut solo single, 2011’s “Champagne Lemonade” (which remains amazing), was unjustly kept down in the lower echelons of the UK Singles Chart — and his second single (“Drunk Dial”) failed to chart at all.
That’s why his new single, “Undefeated,” is especially meaningful.
The electro-pop empowerment anthem surges forth with the kind of confident gusto of any Wanted smash, full of big, bouncy beats, sing-along friendly hooks and a fists-aloft rallying cry of a chorus: “We are not defeated, we’re something better / Now I know the world is on my side!” he triumphantly declares across the slick, string-laden production.
The song’s got nothing to do with tepid public reception, but rather the drama behind-the-scenes over the past few years: “Having been messed around by two major labels, I decided that I’d be happier just making music and getting it out there, rather than be part of someone else’s master-plan for me,” he explains on the song’s official SoundCloud.
Going the indie route is nothing new these days, and belonging to a major label is slowly becoming a non-factor — Macklemore‘s certainly doing well without a record deal — so there’s hope yet. As long as he’s still got a fighting spirit (and keeps up with those brilliant songwriting credits, of course!), there’s no reason why the talented songwriter won’t emerge victorious.