No Letting Go for Wayne Wonder
Wayne Wonder said he always believed that No Letting Go would have become a major hit. His intuition became a reality in 2003 when it exploded as a massive crossover hit song in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
On Wednesday, No Letting Go was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), commemorating sales exceeding 500,000 units.
Wayne Wonder, whose real name is Von Wayne Charles, is pleased with the song’s longevity and shared how the idea for his biggest hit came about.
“It came from a genuine place in my heart. Hearing that it has been certified gold is an amazing feeling,” Wayne Wonder told the Jamaica Observer.
No Letting Go is produced by Steven “Lenky” Marsden and is featured on the popular Diwali rhythm.
“I wrote the song in New York and I flew down to Jamaica to record it at Lenky’s studio. The recording session was a nice vibe, you know me and Lenky energy. I told him I wanted my song to have chords, structure, and a bridge. And it came out just fine,” Wayne Wonder recalled.
Randy Chin, president, VP Music Group, congratulated Wayne Wonder and Marsden on the feat.
“Congratulations to Wayne Wonder and Steven “Lenky” Marsden on receiving their RIAA certification. No Letting Go is a hit record that is timeless,” he said.
No Letting Go was also featured on Wayne’s 2003 Grammy-nominated album No Holding Back (VP/Atlantic Records). The song peaked at number three in the United Kingdom, 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, 8 on US Rhythmic, seven on Rap Singles, and 14 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
Internationally, the song hit several charts, including in Switzerland, Sweden, Scotland, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, and Australia.
It was certified gold in the United Kingdom in November 2020 for sales exceeding 400,000 copies.
The song propelled the album No Holding Back up the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at number 29. On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the album made it to 10, while climbing to two on the Reggae Albums chart.
In 2003, No Holding Back was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales exceeding 60,000 copies.
Wayne Wonder said the success of No Letting Go opened several doors for him.
“It opened all the doors possible. I was also able to showcase the rest of my earlier works,” he shared.
The official remix of No Letting Go featured American rappers LL Cool J and Queen Duchess.
Director X shot and directed the video for No Letting Go, which was a hit on Black Entertainment Television (BET) 106 and Park show back in 2003. It was shot on location in Ocho Rios, St Ann.
In 2019 American house/remix duo Dirty Werk released an electro dance version of No Letting Go, which peaked at number one on Billboard’s Dance Music Club Play chart.
