Testify
by Hifi Sean (featuring Crystal Waters)

Album: Ft. (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Sean Dickson led the '90s alternative rock band The Soup Dragons before transforming into the producer/DJ Hifi Sean. On this track, he teamed up with Crystal Waters of "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" renown, who added the lyric, supplied the vocal and gave the video a focal point.

    "I get a lot of tracks from DJs and they were sending me a lot of those EDM tracks," she said in a Songfacts interview. "When I got this one, it was such a departure from the rise-and-fall tracks. It really had that soulful thing and it gave me an opportunity to put some attitude on it, if you will. So, I just remember writing the first line: 'Tell me what you mean by...?' Like, 'Who you talking to?'

    I really liked the good-and-evil battle with the song. I envisioned seeing a prostitute and a preacher meeting at a bar and went from there."
  • With a gospel feel and a tight production, this song stood out from the fray, reaching #1 on the Dance chart in October 2017. In an interview with Hifi Sean, he told us: "Crystal and myself decided to write something along the lines of a classic 7-inch record, including a fade. It was recorded and mixed as you hear it, just over three minutes long. I sometimes feel that in the world of dance music, artists just elongate tracks for the sake of it. 'Testify' is one of those songs you wish went on for a bit longer."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Benny Mardones

Benny MardonesSongwriter Interviews

His song "Into The Night" is one of the most-played of all time. For Benny, it took him to hell and back.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.