Single Review: Riz Ahmed - Once Kings

The latest single from Riz Ahmed, ‘Once Kings’, sees him move into a much more personal domain, exploring conflicts of identity, and the constant struggle to make choices and to prioritise things in a world where everything seems to be so important.

therein lies so much of what ‘Once Kings’ is about, encapsulating religion, family, tradition, and a struggle for peace

The song features an echo of prayer, and therein lies so much of what ‘Once Kings’ is about, encapsulating religion, family, tradition, and a struggle for peace. It acts as an anchor, its repetition soothing the listener – and the speaker – as the overwhelming uncertainty of everything else is said aloud. It demonstrates the resilience of faith, prevailing until the very end, when a woman reciting her prayer becomes the only voice to be heard.

With a strong beat that rarely falters, this single is much more fast-paced than previous works, such as ‘The Breakup’ and ‘Where You From’ Ahmed’s often isolated vocals set a very different tone. Acting as a heartbeat of the song, it instantly pulls you in, carrying you through until the very end. The overlay of the lyrics, prayer, and backings of Asian music seem like they should overwhelm, yet instead, they masterfully frame the essence of this song – which is in a sense the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Ahmed brings more of his personal feelings into intersection with the wider historical and societal themes

Unlike his previous work, Ahmed brings more of his personal feelings into intersection with the wider historical and societal themes he has been known to explore, particularly in album The Long Goodbye, brought out in February of this year. References to his family, ‘my mum she mumbles these prayers to no one her son can see’, and their own opinions ‘I didn’t cross seven seas for your radical tweets son’ and expectations add a heaviness to this song. The private sphere fails to provide refuge from the outside world full of ignorance, criticism, and the pain of the past ‘soaked in the blood from a border that cuts us in half when its blade hit’.

‘Once Kings’ is a piece of work that should not be ignored. Ahmed channels the anxiety of 2020, the overthinking it has cast on so many of us, and uses it to explore his own priorities, his own struggles. Both powerful and thought provoking, this song is just a fraction of what Riz Ahmed can do – yet it is still incredible listening. Being as dense as it is lyrically, this single not easy to access. It is, however, exactly what you might see if you want a song you can listen to on repeat and still hear something new each time.