If You Really Love Me (How Will I Know) by David Guetta (featuring John Newman)

Album: single release only (2021)

Charted: 27

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This song finds David Guetta teaming up with British DJ MistaJam and British singer-songwriter John Newman to give Whitney Houston's 1985 single "How Will I Know" a 21st century twist. Guetta said, "Who can resist the chorus from such a classic record as 'How will I Know'! Full of old-school piano house grooves, this has sunshine all the way through it."
Whitney Houston's original song is about falling in love and the hope that her feelings are reciprocated. The writers of this version - Peter Dalton, Ollie Green and John Newman, plus producers MistaJam and Guetta - added two new verses and a pre-chorus, flipping its meaning to that of regret at the end of a relationship.
"How Will I Know" is a song that's special to both Newman and his wife; he had the idea to remake it for a long time. When he hooked up with MistaJam for a session in November 2020, they wrote a rough demo paying homage to Whitney's original while taking it somewhere fresh. Newman sent the demo to Guetta, who immediately got to work on it. The two producers collaborated on the final production, communicating through WhatsApp, sharing ideas and parts.
When the song entered the UK singles chart dated August 1, 2021, it was Newman's first chart credit since "Give Me Your Love" with Sigala and Nile Rodgers in 2016.
The original "How Will I Know" was written by the team of George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, better known as Boy Meets Girl. They like what Guetta did to their song.

"I dig the build to the recognizable chorus with the new verse they created," Merrill says. "It adds an emotional twist and sets a mood, very cool! John's heartfelt vocal sounds uniquely British to my American ears, very nice."

"I like it," Rubicam adds. "I appreciate that the video updates and continues the brightly colorful spirit and playfulness of the Whitney video. This version definitely passes my personal 'kitchen dancing' test."

Both agree: "Well done. Thanks to John Newman, MistaJam and David Guetta! We're honored you gave HWIK a brand new treatment."

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