Big Man

Album: single release only (2024)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Big Man" is a collaborative track between Self Esteem and South African singer-songwriter and dancer Moonchild Sanelly. It is a contemplative jaunt through the thorny thicket of modern masculinity and gender roles.

    "Me and Moon wrote a song from the perspective of a good boyfriend," Self Esteem explained, conjuring up images of those rare, mythical creatures - men who are so chill and self-assured that they don't need a fanfare every time they take out the trash. These are the guys who understand that your success doesn't threaten their manhood. They'll happily pick up yet another package you missed from the post office because you were too busy conquering the world, or at least your to-do list.

    "To me this is real masculinity," she said, as if tossing out a gauntlet to every macho man still clutching his metaphorical trophy for putting the toilet seat down.
  • "Big Man" doesn't just challenge the stereotype of masculinity as something brash and chest-thumping. Instead, it offers up a more nuanced picture: one where being secure and supportive are the real hallmarks of being a "big man." It's a subversive spin on what it means to be manly, and one that's as catchy as it is insightful.

    In a chat with BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders, Self Esteem remarked, "We still joke about things like, 'Oh, he never does the washing up,' but it's still a thing."

    She mused on how feminism has evolved, leaving masculinity fumbling to catch up. "And I don't think it's as difficult as everyone thinks," Self Esteem reflected.
  • Self Esteem and Moonchild Sanelly wrote the song with Self Esteem's friend and go-to producer, Johan Hugo (Mumford & Sons, Dan Croll).
  • The Piers Dennis-directed music video sees the two artists in exaggeratedly masculine roles, performing domestic chores. Self Esteem described it as "an inverse "I Want to Break Free'" by Queen – referring to the band's iconic 1984 visual.

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