Ady Suleiman & Kofi Stone Meet On Never Meant To Hurt You

Ady Suleiman opened a new page with 'Never Meant To Hurt You,' his collaboration with Kofi Stone produced by Miles James. It arrived on 25 September, a month after 'Miracle.'

The title fits the moment we are living in. 'Never Meant To Hurt You' reads like the 1 a.m. message you type and do not send, blurred labels, soft exits, doors left on the latch. We keep things that should have ended. We stay when the fit is off. We accept less and call it attachment.

The lines are plain enough to see yourself in them: 'Never meant to hurt you, only meant to give you something more… lately I don’t deserve you. I never meant to love you… can’t ignore this feeling inside.”

Then Kofi steps in on the hook, “perfect matrimony, now you act like you don’t know me… thought at least we could be homies,” and flips to “that’s okay, I’ll be fine… block my number, I don’t mind.” It is the wobble between wanting a soft landing and bracing for the cut off. He owns it, “I messed up one too many times,” then leaves a crack in the door, “would you care for a glass of wine?” That is how people live now. The break happens, but the thread stays, feeds, alternate numbers, mutual friends, so endings rarely stay ended.

Ady writes from close range. The track holds the line between care and distance without theatre. Phrases arrive straight and leave space where explanation would usually sit. Miles James builds a frame that lets that restraint breathe. Guitar figure up front. Rhythm section steady.

Kofi widens the picture rather than echoing it. Same house, different room. The pass back to Ady is clean. Nod, inhale, back on the beat. Two writers comparing notes, not competing.

Context sits inside the work. Ady grew up on the edge of Nottingham and lives in London now. Guitar in hand, voice to mic. He built momentum the long way in youth clubs, student nights, and backrooms with humming PAs, then carried it into bigger spaces such as Glastonbury, Bestival, and a sold out Electric Brixton. Early clips like 'What’s The Score' and 'Stay At Mine' moved because people passed them on. 'Sad Story' and 'Need Somebody to Love' did the same in rooms before anyone tallied anything.

Time away sharpened the focus. Six months in Zanzibar and Kenya were not for a look. They firmed the centre. Cadence, patience, phrasing. The choices feel steadier now.

He lets chords hang. He does not fill every pocket just because it is there. The writing sits closer to how he performs. Step out, plant, hold eye contact, speak.

This chapter already has receipts. Collaborations with Joey Bada$$, Kofi Stone, and Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn. Support from Liam Bailey and Chance The Rapper. Coverage from The Evening Standard, British GQ, Mahogany, The Independent, and Clash. None of that is the point, but it explains why rooms gather fast when his name is on a flyer and why a release like this does not need extra noise.

'Never Meant To Hurt You' works because it keeps its shape. The hook does not chase a sugar rush. Verses carry weight without extra varnish. The production resists gloss for its own sake and still lands current. You can hear where a DJ pulls it back. An opening eight that lands clean.

A middle turn that asks for another pass. The structure invites it.

What this return makes clear is control. Ady is not chasing tempo trends or dressing songs for playlists. He is building a run that reads as him, guitar led, voice first, stories told in straight lines. Kofi’s presence underlines that aim. It signals alignment with peers who value pen and pocket over polish.

The pieces behind the curtain look aligned. Timing, collaborators, visuals, rollout. The aim is coherence, not bloat. Keep the core tight. Let the songs set the pace. Let the shows carry the message. That is how a quiet re entry turns into a solid year without changing stride.

If you are keeping score, watch the places where presence gets tested. Live rooms that reward timing. Radio sets that punish drift. A run of releases that holds a line while leaving room for surprise. Not a reset. A continuation with better tools.

Ady does not argue for attention here. He earns it by keeping the frame simple and the writing close to the bone. 'Never Meant To Hurt You' is out now, and it reads how people actually love now, messy, unfinished, and hard to put down.