Imani Williams Talks Juggling Her GCSEs With All That Sigala Stardom
We catch up with the 'Don't Need No Money' singer about what's next and already being on the BRIT School Wall Of Fame...
Now I got that feeling you without me will break my heart
'Cause the sunlight's in my eyes when you're out of sight
You could've seen me shine,
I'll tell you one more time, oh, oh
If you love me, love me like you say you do
Then you need to, do what you say you do
If you love me, love me like you say you do
Then you need to, love me like you say you do
Doo-doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Do you love me?
Love me like you say you do
Doo-doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Then you need to, love me like you say you do
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, love me like you say you do
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Now you got me feeling bad, I'm slipping far away from you
And you're doing all the things I said that you should do
But it only lasts so long like the setting sun
So under these blue skies, tell you one more time
If you love me, love me like you say you do
Then you need to, do what you say you do
If you love me, love me like you say you do
Then you need to, love me like you say you do
Love me like you say you do
You gotta love me like you say you do, say you do, say you do
Holla, holla, tell you what I want, yeah
Gotta, gotta love me like you should, yeah
Holla, holla, tell you what I need, yeah, gotta
Love me like you say you do
If you love me, love me like you say you do
Then you need to, do what you say you do
If you love me, love me like you say you do
Then you need to, love me like you say you do
Doo-doo-doo-doo Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Do you love me?
Love me like you say you do
Doo-doo-doo-doo Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Then you need to, love me like you say you do
Think studying for your GCSEs this year was hard? Try being Imani Williams. Not only did she have to swat up on all her subjects, she also found the time to feature on Sigala's smash single 'Say You Do' earlier this year, hit the road with the producer for all his live shows AND crank out her own debut single 'Don't Need No Money'.
The young pop star in the making recently swung by MTV to talk how she managed it all, studio time with Sigala and hailing from the same school as Amy Winehouse...
Back to the GCSE thing. In May, Imani played our own MTV Crashes Coventry gig having just sat her English GCSE earlier that day (!): "Yes I did my English GCSE before I went to MTV Crashes Coventry," she recalled, "and I [recently] got my results and I did quite well, I got a B in English so that wasn't too bad so finger crossed that there's no more exams to come 'cause I am ready to get out and do more music.
"To be honest it was quite hard having all of the things going on at the same time but I had some really cool people around me and my team are amazing and helped me out. I just kept my head down and focused and I think the hard work paid off, and it's time to write music and do more performing and I have more free time now."
With all her friends now thinking about further education, we asked whether it was weird for her going in such a separate direction.
"It's really weird," she said, "me and my friends are going such different ways. I mean just a year ago I wasn't even signed and I was just in BRIT School with my friends but they're definitely really supportive and it's cool for them to come to my shows and stuff.
"I've just got a really small group of friends, like my best friends, so they're all really supportive of what I'm doing and every time they see me on the TV they Snapchat me 'oh it's you' and I'm like 'I know!' So yeah it's really, really fun."
Speaking of the BRIT School, which seen the likes of Adele, Jessie J, Amy Winehouse, Katy B and more walk down its corridors, with just two official releases to her name, Imani's already made it onto their Wall Of Fame...
Wrapped up in your arms feels like I made it
When I close my eyes the world has faded
I used to say that love was just a fool's game
Til you put it on me
Now I'm talking 'bout diamonds in your eyes
I'm thinking 'bout loving your for life
There's something 'bout you
That got me feeling like, that got me feeling like
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you, oh
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you, oh oo
(Oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo)
As long as I got you
(Oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo)
As long as I got you
So crazy
How I just can't came down from what you gave me
On and on I go through every cliché
I got this fever boy you put it on me
Yeah, you put it on me
I'm thinking 'bout stars and butterflies
I'm thinking 'bout drowning in your eyes
There's something 'bout you
That got me feeling like, that got me feeling like
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you, oh
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you, oh oo
(Oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo)
As long as I got you
(Oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo)
As long as I got you
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you
Now I know my love don't have a price
When you hold me close, yeah yeah
(Tell you baby)
I'd give it all for a love that feels like
It's more than just the superficial
(Oh, it's superficial)
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
(I don't need it, yeah)
I don't need no money
As long as I got you
(Oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo)
(No money, no money)
As long as I got you
(Oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo, oh oo)
As long as I got you
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
I don't need no money
As long as I got you, oh oo
"There were no famous people when I was at BRIT School but they have a wall when you walk into the doors of the school and it shows all of the famous people that have been there and it's literally amazing how many people have come from the BRIT School, it's crazy. They actually put me on the wall now which is really cool.
"My ultimate idol on the wall of fame in BRIT School - that is so hard 'cause there's so many people … probably Amy Winehouse, I mean she's amazing."
As for new music, we had to ask whether after he returned the favour on her current single 'Don't Need No Money', whether she and Sigala are cooking up another banger any time soon.
"I haven't been in the studio with Sigala lately," she revealed, "just 'cause we're both so so busy but we've been doing a lot of shows together, I've been doing a lot of his headline shows...so it's really cool to keep contact with him and like just sing our songs live together."
And how does he come up with those infectiously feel good vibes? "It's really funny, the vibe in Sigala's studio is really tropical themed, like he has like palm trees - it's really crazy, I think that inspires his music a lot. But yeah it's really chilled, we just vibe off each other, we have a really good creative connection in the studio and yeah we work really well together."
Imani Williams' 'Don't Need No Money' is out now.