Beat Of My Drum

This is the first solo single by the English singer Nicola Roberts, who at the time of the song's release had achieved four #1 hits and numerous top ten singles in the UK as a member of the reality-TV spawned group Girls Aloud. It was released on June 5, 2011.

Roberts worked with Dimitri Tikovoi and Diplo on the single. Dimitri Tikovoi has credits for various UK acts including Goldfrapp and Placebo whilst Diplo is best known for his work with M.I.A. ("Paper Planes") and Beyoncé ("Run The World (Girls)").

Roberts, who is a longtime MIA fan, told The Guardian how she roped in Diplo in to craft this dancefloor stomp, which she said is full of "quirky sounds, hard dollops." The Girls Aloud singer explained: "I had to ring him [Diplo] and … you know when you ring a boy for the first time? I knew I only had one chance, so I just fired at him. 'I want this, I want that, don't send it back like that. I'm going to send you the session again just so you've got it.' He reassured me a bit, and I put the phone down, thinking, it's not in my hands now …"

When she got the track back, Roberts initially was so nervous she couldn't bring herself to listen to it. "It meant so much to me that I was frightened I'd be let down by it," she explained. "I was at home in Liverpool and I put my little brother and sister in the car, burnt it off on to a CD, drove to this deserted field and put it on so loud that the trees were … [does an impression of a wobbly tree]. I looked at my brother, this 14-year-old lad, and he went, 'That is cool.' Then my little sister, she's 21 and a real girls' girl, said, 'That is fly.' I'm so proud of it. I can't believe it's mine. The man is a genius."