We all know that “Stay” was one of the biggest hits of Rihanna‘s recent career, but you also may remember that it propelled the career of the song’s writer Mikky Ekko who played a masterstroke by demanding that his name appeared beside the song instead of being just another credit on the album sleeve.

He may still sing “Stay” in his live sets, but today he liberated the demo which eventually made its way to Rihanna’s “Unapologetic“, and obviously it’s better. Infinitely better.

Stream: Mikky Ekko – “Stay” (Original Demo)