“Champion” is the latest offering from composer David Baron in collaboration with the sweet vocalist Fiona Glenn, and it’s a pretty motivational and anthemic single.
When writing this song, songwriter Donna Lewis was inspired by the world-renowned Olympian gymnast Simone Biles after being put down by critics multiple times for withdrawing from an Olympic event, but she was still standing tall. The way the string section begins this song puts you in the state of mind of being an Olympian, superhero, or even a movie protagonist reaching their goals and desires after a hectic journey.
We are then hit by the passionate vocals of 17-year-old Fiona Glenn who sings like she has a decade-long career behind her, and blows my mind with how catchy she sounds. I could sense some similarities (in the color of her voice) to Lorde and Ellie Goulding, but you most definitely won’t mix them up due to the unique and airy way Fiona delivers her lines.
Real drums and brief electric guitars accompany the synthesizers and orchestrations throughout this uplifting track, and in the second half, a brass section can be heard too- because how can you have a champion-celebrating song without charming trumpets to go with the it-The track is filled with short yet impactful statements such as:
“Mighty fighter
Such a sight ya
The champion
Cause’ nobody can keep you down…”
And the bridge that repeats:
“No one can keep me down
No one can keep me down…”
By the end of the song I was longing for more and couldn’t keep myself from repeating it to keep getting that sweet sense of stardom and strength that it gives. Fiona Glenn caught Mr Baron’s attention at one point and he decided to collaborate with her, and the result was this flamboyant anthem that will be stuck in people’s heads for months.