AITCH RELEASES “CLOSE TO HOME,” HIS DEBUT ALBUM

Today, Platinum-selling 22-year-old Manchester rapper Aitch releases his debut album, Close To Home. Listen here via Capitol Records / 10K Projects. To celebrate this milestone moment, Aitch reveals the heart-warming video for “My G” featuring Ed Sheeran, which you can watch below.

Displaying a more mature, reflective, and personal side of Aitch’s songwriting, “My G” is a loving tribute from the Manchester rapper to his 12-year-old little sister, affectionately called “G”, who has Down’s Syndrome. Paired with a music video directed by long-term visual collaborator Kelvin Jones, the visual was filmed at The Langdon Down Centre and features a moving performance from Aitch, as he reminisces viewing old childhood and family photos over a soothing silhouette of Ed Sheeran.

Setting the scene with “BelgraveRoad_1”, Close To Home showcases Aitch’s remarkable journey within hip-hop. “Fuego”, “Cheque” and “Louis Vuitton” are blessed with the rapper’s trademark lyricism and cheeky suave. He reunites with AJ Tracey on “R Kid”, while laidback summery bop “Sunshine” featuring New Machine embraces a new tangent of melodic guitar riffs.

The album’s title track “Close To Home”, which features a children’s choir, sees Aitch up close and personal, putting his private thoughts on paper for the first time. “In Disguise” featuring Bakar, the Shaun Ryder-assisted and Stone Roses-sampling “1989” and platinum-selling #2 Fred again.. produced hit “Baby” featuring R&B icon Ashanti. In fact, Ashanti and Aitch performed “Baby” together during BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2022. Watch the performance here.

When speaking about his album’s title, Aitch says: “As much as I say that I’m trying to get out of the ends, and I want to go elsewhere, I always end up back in the same place. Even across the other side of the world, I feel like I bring a sense of Manchester; whether I’m in London or Australia, I’m still Close To Home.”

Taking Close To Home on the road for the first time, Aitch will kick off a sold-out headline in the UK followed by a run in the rest of Europe early next year. On the performance front, recently Aitch was brought out as a special guest during Jack Harlow’s set at the 2022 Wireless Festival.

At only 22-years-old, the BRIT Award nominated artist is on the verge of a global breakout with Close To Home. His debut album showcases his ever-growing songwriting skills. Combining a mature and reflective side with the confident charisma he’s known for, Close To Home is a modern spin paying homage to the lineage of Manchester’s musical history, pairing rich and identifiably local flavor with global ambition. Already under his belt Aitch retains over a billion streams, over 5 million records sold worldwide, millions of followers, and co-signs from the likes of Tay Keith, Sam Smith, Skepta, and more.

Aitch – Close To Home Tracklist

  1. BelgraveRoad_1
  2. Louis Vuitton
  3. 1989
  4. Money Habits (feat. Mastermind)
  5. Baby feat. Ashanti
  6. Bring It Back
  7. Sunshine (feat. New Machine)
  8. Fuego
  9. Cheque
  10. In Disguise (feat. Bakar)
  11. The Palm
  12. 100x
  13. R Kid (feat. AJ Tracey)
  14. My G (feat. Ed Sheeran)
  15. Close To Home
  16. Hollinwood To Hollywood