"Breathing" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Mary J. Blige featuring Fabolous | ||||
from the album Gratitude | ||||
Released | August 15, 2024 | |||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Mary J. Blige singles chronology | ||||
|
"Breathing" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Jocelyn Donald, Jose Leonel Sandova, Shaun "S. Dot" Thomas and guest vocalist Fabolous for Blige's fifteenth studio album Gratitude (2024), while production was helmed by Thomas, with Cashmere Brown credited as a co-producer. The song was released by Mary Jane Productions Inc. and 300 Entertainment on August 15, 2024 as the album's lead single and became Blige's ninth chart topper on the Adult R&B Songs chart. It peaked at number 13 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
"Breathing" was written by Mary J. Blige along with Jocelyn "Jozzy" Donald, Jose Leonel "PurpleKBeats" Sandova, Shaun "S. Dot" Thomas and guest vocalist Fabolous for her fifteenth studio album Gratitude (2024). [1] Production on the song was overseen by Thomas, while Cashmere Brown served as a co-producer. [1] The song samples from the song "Kick in the Door" (1997) by American rapper Notorious B.I.G. which in turn contains a sample of "I Put a Spell on You" (1956) by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Due to the inclusion of the sample, B.I.G., Hawkins, and DJ Premier are also credited as songwriters. [1] In an interview with People , Blige elaborated on the song: "The story behind the track is what I'm doing finally, which is living, breathing, enjoying my life and celebrating the happiness and freedom I have that life brings. That's why it's called "Breathing." I finally get to exhale and inhale and then exhale and enjoy life, enjoy love." [2]
Vibe editor Mya Abraham declared "Breathing" as "classic Mary with a bit more of a hip-hop feel with Fab kicking the song off," [3] while Sha Be Allah, writing for The Source found that the song "showcases Blige's unparalleled vocals and intimate lyricism. It is a song about what she promised: being happy where she is and reveling in it. Again, Blige proves why she was heralded as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul." [4] Zachary Horvath from HotNewHipHop called "Breathing" a throwback style single" as well as a "grand and uplifiting [...] classic Mary J Blige record." [5]
Released on August 16, 2024, [6] "Breathing" debuted at number 49 on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in the week ending August 31, 2024. [7] It eventually peaked at number 13 in the week of October 26, 2024. [7] The same week, the song also reached the top spot on Billboard's US Adult R&B Songs chart, [8] becoming Blige's ninth number-one hit as well her third consecutive year with a numer-one song on the chart. [9] With nine Adult R&B chart toppers, Blige moved into a tie with singers Maxwell, Tank and Usher for the fourth-most number-one hits only after Alicia Keys, Toni Braxton and Charlie Wilson. [9]
A music video for "Breathing" was directed by frequent collaborator Eif Rivera. [10] Filming locations included the Legacy Castgle in Pequannock, New Jersey and the East River Greenway on the east side of the island of Manhattan, New York City. [10] The visuals were released through Blige's official YouTube account on August 16, 2024. [11]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of "Breathing." [1]
|
|
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ( Billboard ) [7] | 13 |
Region | Date | Editions(s) | Format(s) | Label | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | August 15, 2024 | Standard | Digital download |
| |
August 16, 2024 | Remix |
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. It was also used in sister publication R&R, which listed the chart as Urban National Airplay. The chart is not the R&B/hip-hop subset of the Hot 100 Airplay chart, but rather uses a separate panel of R&B stations in urban and urban adult contemporary markets. It was the primary airplay component chart of the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart until the issue dated October 20, 2012, when Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs was revamped to include digital sales, streaming, and airplay from all radio formats. The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart encompasses two separate airplay charts, both of which are based on radio spins rather than audience impressions: Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop and Adult R&B Airplay, which measure airplay on urban contemporary and urban adult contemporary stations respectively.
"Family Affair" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, her brother Bruce Miller, Camara Kambon, Michael Elizondo, and producer Dr. Dre for her fifth studio album, No More Drama (2001).
Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack for the film of the same name, released on November 14, 1995, by Arista Records. Produced by Babyface, the soundtrack features appearances by several prominent R&B artists, including Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, TLC, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Faith Evans, Patti LaBelle, SWV and Mary J. Blige.
"Rainy Dayz" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige featuring additional vocals from rapper Ja Rule. Taken from Blige's re-release of her fifth studio album, No More Drama, the track was released to coincide with the release of the album's reissue, serving as its final single. The Irv Gotti-produced duet became another hit for both, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 in the United Kingdom.
"Be Without You" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was written by Johntá Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Jason Perry, and Blige for her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). Production was helmed by Cox, with additional production from Young Smoke and vocal production from Ron Fair and Blige. A piano-tinkling downtempo R&B song, the song examines a relationship where the couple is trying to decide if they want to stay together, with Blige urging them to appreciate their blessings. "Be Without You" was released as the album's first official single on November 14, 2005.
American singer Mary J. Blige began her career as a backing vocalist for Uptown Records in the early 1990s. In a career spanning more than 30 years, she has released 15 studio albums and 83 singles—including more than 20 as a featured artist. The "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" has sold an estimate of over 100 million records worldwide, and over 20 million in the United States alone. Billboard ranked Blige as the 18th Greatest Billboard 200 Woman of all time, the 45th Greatest Hot 100 Woman of all time and 88th Greatest Artist of all time.
"Not Gon' Cry" is a song by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, from the soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale; the song is also featured on Blige's third album, Share My World (1997). It was written and produced by Babyface and became a major hit for Blige in the United States, where it peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles and Hot 100 charts, respectively. The single sold 1,000,000 copies domestically and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Take Me as I Am" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Jordan "Infinity" Suecof and Thabiso "Tab" Nkhereanye along with three members of the writing collective The Clutch, Ezekiel Lewis, Candice Nelson, and singer Keri Hilson, for her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). Production was helmed by Infinity and Ron Fair, with co-production from Tal Herzberg. The song contains samples from "Garden of Peace" (1979) by American jazz musician Lonnie Liston Smith. Due to the inclusion of the sample, he is also credited as songwriter.
"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" is a duet song by American rapper Method Man, featuring American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The song is a remix of Method Man's "All I Need", which appears on his debut studio album Tical (1994). The song, a hip hop soul record, was released as a single by Def Jam Recordings and PolyGram Records on April 25, 1995.
The discography of Fabolous, an American rapper, consists of seven studio albums, two extended plays, 58 singles, and eleven mixtapes, and amongst various other recordings. Throughout his career, he’s been primarily known as a flagship artist for Def Jam Recordings and Desert Storm Records, however, his first of three studio albums were released through Elektra and Atlantic Records.
"The One" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Written alongside Ester Dean and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, it was released on July 21, 2009 as the lead single from her ninth studio album Stronger with Each Tear. The song marked Blige's 5th entry on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, on which it reached number 32. Blige's sum extended her lead for most charted titles among women in the 1990s and 2000s.
"Another Round" is a single by American rapper Fat Joe. It features R&B singer Chris Brown. The hip hop and R&B song, which samples "I Will Always Love You" by Troop, was produced by Cool & Dre and Yung Ladd and co-written by Kenneth Joseph and Jarell Perry. On October 20, 2011, the single was released for digital download on iTunes.
"Whole Damn Year" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Emeli Sandé and Knox Brown for her twelfth studio album The London Sessions (2014), featuring production from the latter. "Whole Damn Year" is a R&B song, with a neo soul influence. The song was released as the album's third single on December 1, 2014.
"Thick of It" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr., and Jazmine Sullivan for her thirteenth studio album Strength of a Woman (2017), while production was helmed by Camper. The song embodies portions of the song "Give a Little Love" (1975) by Scottish pop rock band Bay City Rollers. Due to the inclusion of the sample, John Goodison and Phil Wainman are also credited as songwriters. The song was released as the lead single from the album on October 7, 2016. "Thick of It" went to number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
"U + Me (Love Lesson)" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige from her 13th studio album, Strength of a Woman (2017). It was released on February 17, 2017, as the album's second single. Brandon "B.A.M." Hodge produced "U + Me (Love Lesson)" and co-wrote it with Charles Hinshaw, David D. Brown, and Mary J. Blige. It is a soul ballad, and its lyrics revolve around a breakup.
"Thriving" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige featuring guest vocals from rapper Nas. It was written by Blige, Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr., Nas and Denisia “Blue June” Andrews and Brittany “Chi Coney” Coney from songwriting duo Nova Wav, while production was helmed by Camper. The song is built around a sample of the song "Under the Influence of Love" (1967) by American girl group Love Unlimited. "Thriving" was released as a digital single on May 10, 2019 to commence with Nas and Blige's The Royalty Tour and peaked at number 21 on the US Adult R&B Songs.
"Know" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Mark "Sounwave" Spears, and Denisia “Blue June” Andrews and Brittany “Chi Coney” Coney from songwriting duo Nova Wav, while production was helmed by Spears. The song was released by Republic Records as a standalone single on August 8, 2019. It peaked at number 12 on the US Adult R&B Songs.
Good Morning Gorgeous is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on February 11, 2022, through 300 Entertainment and her Mary Jane Productions imprint. Her first album in nearly five years, it marked her first release for 300 Entertainment and her first album that was not released by a subsidiary of Universal Music.
"Still Believe in Love" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Jeff "Gitty" Gitelman, DJ Cassidy, Bradley Thomas, Jr., Eliott Trent, and guest vocalist Vado, while production was helmed by Cassidy and Gitelman along with Kuk Harrell and Jelli Dorman. The song contains a sample from "C.O.D. " (1984) by American R&B group Mtume. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Mtume band members James Mtume and Tawatha Agee are also credited as songwriters.
Gratitude is the fifteenth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was released on November 15, 2024, through 300 Entertainment and her Mary Jane Productions imprint.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)