Michaela Coel Explains Why The Music She Recorded For Chewing Gum Isn’t Getting Released

Earlier today, January 12, Chewing Gum actress and showrunner Michaela Coel tweeted a fan who asked about the music in the show. She confirmed that the hushed R&B ballad heard briefly at the end of episode 4 in the first season of her hilarious and honest show was sung by her and U.K. artist Shakka.

The FADER reached out to Coel to learn more about the song and ask if she has any plans to release it. She said no, but told us about her work with Shakka: "I wrote and sang six tracks in season 1 including the theme tune, plus [songs that appear at] the end of episodes 4, 5, and 6," Coel said. "Shakka produced all of them and joined me in a few. The songs are unavailable and do not exist anywhere. We wrote full songs but recorded 45 seconds of each track as it was purely for the purposes of the show."

As for the show's second season, which begins in the U.K. tonight, Coel added, "Hannah Dunnell and I handpicked every single track in season 2, from old school British garage, old school hip-hop and R&B, electro, chill, and gospel. I did not record any songs for this series due to availability and the busyness of show-running."

Shakka was also full of praise for his collaborator. "She's a creative genius," he said of Coel. "Ideas come out of her like water from a tap. [She is] A genuine pleasure to work with."

You can check out the trailer for S2 of Chewing Gum below. A U.S. date for the season has yet to be announced.

Learn more about Chewing Gum and Michaela Coel in this 2015 FADER thinkpiece.