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My Man (Tamar Braxton song)
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"My Man" is an R&B and soul song recorded by American singer Tamar Braxton for her fifth studio album Bluebird of Happiness (2017). Braxton and Cory Rooney wrote the song, which was produced by Bob Robinson. It was released for digital download and streaming on April 27, 2017, as the album's lead single. "My Man" was the first single from Braxton's independent record label, Tamartian Land, created with the support of eOne Entertainment.
"My Man"
Single by Tamar Braxton
from the album Bluebird of Happiness
Released
April 27, 2017
Genre
R&B
soul
Length
4:11
3:47 (radio edit)
Label
Tamartian Land
eOne Music
Songwriter(s)
Tamar Braxton
Cory Rooney
Producer(s)
Bob Robinson
Tamar Braxton singles chronology
"If I Don't Have You"
(2015)
"My Man"
(2017)
"Blind"
(2017)
Music video
"My Man" on YouTube
The lyrics concern infidelity and were based on Braxton's parents and their divorce after her father's affair. Braxton wrote the song from her mother's perspective on the relationship. Describing "My Man" as her most personal song, Braxton used one of her past relationships as additional inspiration.
Critics considered "My Man" as one of the highlights of Bluebird of Happiness and praised Braxton's vocals. The song peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 21 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. "My Man" was featured on an episode of the reality television series Braxton Family Values. Braxton's performance at the BET Awards 2017 was praised as one of the event's highlights, although some critics believed she was lip syncing. Laurieann Gibson directed the music video, which features Braxton confronting her lover and his mistress in a hotel room.
Background and releaseEdit
Tamar Braxton (pictured in 2013) wrote "My Man" about her parents' divorce and one of her past relationships.
Tamar Braxton co-wrote "My Man" with Cory Rooney for her fifth studio album Bluebird of Happiness (2017).[1] The song was produced by Bob Robinson,[1] who worked with Braxton on her eponymous debut album in 2000.[2] Braxton based "My Man" on her parents' marriage and their divorce following her father's infidelity.[3][4] While developing the lyrics, she imagined her mother's perspective to convey her emotions "as a woman and not just as [a] mom".[3]
Additional inspiration came from one of Braxton's past relationships that caused her to question her self-worth. According to Braxton, the single was written and recorded quickly; she explained that it "just rolled out of me".[5] She identified "My Man" as her most personal song[6] and said the single and overall album was "the first time you see an X-ray vision of Tamar and everything I've been through".[5] Braxton co-wrote every song on Bluebird of Happiness.[1]
Prior to the song's release, Braxton had played it for her father, whom she told that she had forgiven for his past affair. He was initially flattered that she wrote a song about him, although he did not pay attention to the lyrics.[4] "My Man" premiered in late April 2017 on Braxton Family Values,[5] a reality television series about the five Braxton sisters (Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar).[7] In Entertainment Tonight, Latifah Muhammad said Braxton's frank discussion about her parents' divorce and her current relationship with them showed how the Braxton family include "some tough moments on camera for their reality show".[4]
Braxton released "My Man" on April 27, 2017, as the album's lead single[5][8] for digital download and streaming.[9][10] The single was sent to urban radio stations on July 18, 2017.[11] It was the only song on Bluebird of Happiness to be marked for explicit content.[1] "My Man" was the first song from Braxton's independent record label, which she created in partnership with eOne Entertainment.[5] She left Epic Records, which released three of her albums, to have more control over her career.[12][13] When discussing this decision, Braxton said she was happy about not having to "sell people on things that I want to do".[3] For the release of "My Man", Braxton named her label Tamartian Land, a reference to her fans' nickname as "Tamartians".[5][14] The name changed to Logan Land for Bluebird of Happiness as a reference to her son, Logan.[1][15]
Music and lyricsEdit
"My Man"
0:24
"My Man" incorporates R&B, soul, and Southern soul genres. Critics described it as a slow jam and a torch song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
"My Man" is an R&B and soul ballad,[16][17] performed in the style of a slow jam and a torch song.[18][19] The album version of the song lasts four minutes and eleven seconds,[9] and a radio edit version shortens it by twenty-four seconds.[10] In an Uproxx article, Elias Leight cited the single as an example of how R&B music uses "updates of the Southern soul sound",[17] and in Rolling Stone, he said it "draws on a long line of fraught, theatrical soul ballads".[20] Critics described its overall tone as sad, especially when compared to the more upbeat composition of "Pick Me Up", another track from Bluebird of Happiness.[21][22]
The lyrics for "My Man" are about infidelity;[4][18] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said its central message was "never trust a lonely woman with the one you love".[23] Vibe's Da'Shan Smith described the lyrics as "suspiciously auto-biographical" for Braxton.[24] Discussing the first verse, "Stood right by your side through everything that you went through…Why is she around", SoulTracks' Justin Kantor compared Tamar's voice to her sister Toni Braxton's "rich low alto". For the lyrics, "Is this my life? It cuts me like a knife", Kantor described Braxton as "belting grittily on the higher end of the scale".[18]
The chorus is "I don't want to hear no bullshit stories about my man, I just can't believe that you're with her / I just can't believe she stole my man", which is the moment Rap-Up's Andres said Braxton "breaks it all down" for the listener.[25] At one point, Braxton refers to her man's mistress as a "heifer", which critics said added more emotion to the song;[18][19] the Los Angeles Times' Libby Hill viewed this moment as a highlight: "It's really the heifer aside that seals the deal in the fiery torch song about a man who done her wrong."[19]
ReceptionEdit
Critics ranked "My Man" as one of the highlights of Bluebird of Happiness.[26] AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote that the album "crest[ed] with the two-timed belter" and its final track "Empty Boxes".[27] In the Houston Chronicle, Joey Guerra praised "My Man", along with "Blind", "How I Feel", and "Empty Boxes", as "searing, tear-your-heart-out ballads".[28] Arielle Chester from We TV said the lyrics were relatable, calling the song "the next best break-up remedy since ice cream".[29] In an article about the 60th Annual Grammy Awards nominations, Da'Shan Smith said "My Man" was snubbed.[24] Braxton's vocals were the subject of praise.[18][25] Justin Kantor commended her for conveying the song's varying emotions,[18] and Andres highlighted her ability to express the "heartache of deception" with her voice.[25]
"My Man" peaked at number three on the Adult R&B Songs Billboard chart for the week of August 19, 2017, and stayed on the chart for 22 weeks.[30] The song reached number 21 on the Hot R&B Songs Billboard chart for the week of August 26, 2017.[31] According to the Houston Chronicle, the single was successful on adult R&B stations.[32] However, Elias Leight said although songs like "My Man" are popular on R&B radio, they are never able to crossover to be played on pop radio or in feature films.[17]
Music video and live performanceEdit
The music video for "My Man" was released on June 25, 2017.[33][34] Filmed in black and white by Laurieann Gibson, it depicts Braxton confronting her lover and his mistress over his infidelity.[35] After finding her lover's hotel room, Braxton sees him in bed with another woman.[33] She pushes the mistress to the bathroom floor before confronting him, taking back her coat, and leaving the hotel. Devin from Rap-Up believed a future music video would continue the story.[34] The video's production was shown in a docuseries focused on Gibson's creative process.[36][37]
Braxton performed "My Man" on the BET Awards 2017 accompanied by back-up dancers.[16] She had a band,[20] but she performed the song without a backing track.[38] Critics praised the performance as one of the award show's highlights.[39] Mikael Wood said that it added energy to the event,[23] which was criticized as having technical and pacing issues.[20][23] Describing Braxton as a "glorious drama queen", Elias Leight enjoyed her "series of well-honed, highly dramatic gestures"; he wrote that "the force of her stagecraft" kept the attention on her rather than the dancers.[20] In an article for Billboard, Dan Rys praised Braxton's vocals and highlighted her mic drop as a "fitting exclamation point" to the performance.[40]
Despite this positive response, Twitter users believed Braxton was lip syncing;[41] Michael Arceneaux also thought this and jokingly asked why she kept "aggressively moving her wig like it was dipped in a fire ant bed before she glued it to her head".[42] During an appearance on the game show Hip Hop Squares, Braxton had an argument with host DeRay Davis when he joked that she had lip-synced for the BET performance.[43][44] Lil Mama, one of the episode's celebrity contestants, had informed Braxton about the joke since she did not hear it the first time.[43] In an interview with the radio show The Breakfast Club, Braxton said she is close friends with Davis and that Lil Mama "needs the spirit of the hush sometimes".[45]
Credits and personnelEdit
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bluebird of Happiness.[1]
Songwriting – Tamar Braxton, Cory Rooney
Production – Bob Robinson
ChartsEdit
Weekly chart performance for "My Man"
Chart (2017)
Peak
position
US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[30]
3
US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard)[31]
21
Release historyEdit
Release dates and formats for "My Man"
Region
Date
Format
Label
Ref
Various
April 27, 2017
Digital download, streaming
Tamartian Land
[46]
United States
July 18, 2017
Urban radio
[11]
ReferencesEdit
FootnotesEdit
Bluebird of Happiness 2017.
Blanford.
Garwood 2017a.
Muhammad 2017.
Mitchell 2017.
Como 2017.
TV Guide.
Rose 2017.
Apple Music 2017b.
Apple Music 2017a.
All Access Music Group 2017.
Arceneaux 2017b.
Andres 2017a.
D'Zurilla 2013.
Britt 2017.
Bell 2017.
Leight 2018.
Kantor 2017.
Hill 2017.
Leight et al. 2017.
Fitzgerald 2017.
Garwood 2017b.
Wood 2017.
Smith 2018.
Andres 2017b.
Guerra 2017b; Ip 2017; Kellman
Kellman.
Guerra 2017b.
Chester 2017.
Billboard a.
Billboard b.
Guerra 2017a.
The Grio 2017a.
Devin 2017.
Beyond the Spotlight 2018; Devin 2017; The Grio 2017a
Beyond the Spotlight 2018.
Lifetime.
Smith 2017.
Hill 2017; Leight et al. 2017; Reuters 2017; Rys 2017; Variety 2017.
Rys 2017.
Williams 2017.
Arceneaux 2017a.
Samuel 2017.
The Grio 2017b.
Miller 2017.
Apple Music 2017b; Apple Music 2017c; Rose 2017
CitationsEdit
"Adult R&B Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 12, 2020.
Andres (June 14, 2017a). "Exclusive: Tamar Braxton's New Album Is Her 'Best Work Yet'". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020.
Andres (April 27, 2017b). "New Music: Tamar Braxton - 'My Man'". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017.
Arceneaux, Michael (June 26, 2017). "The BET Awards Show Felt Like It Was On Forever, but I Had Chicken and Was Entertained". The Root. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017.
Arceneaux, Michael (October 4, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Is Finally the Solo Star She's Long Wanted To Be, So Why Is She Quitting?". The Root. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020.
Bell, Sadie (June 26, 2017). "Watch Tamar Braxton's Dazzling Performance of 'My Man' at the BET Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017.
"Best of BET Awards". Reuters. June 26, 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017.
"Billboard R&B Songs Chart August 26, 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017.
Blanford, Roxanne. "Tamar Review by Roxanne Blanford". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017.
Bluebird of Happiness (Media notes). Tamar Braxton. LoganLand Records. 2017.
"Braxton Family Values". TV Guide. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023.
Britt, Bruce (October 9, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Talks Bluebird Of Happiness & Retirement (?)". Grammy.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020.
Chester, Arielle (April 28, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Drops New Single!!". We TV. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017.
Como, Erin (August 28, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Returns to Howard Theatre". WTTG. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017.
Devin (June 26, 2017). "Video: Tamar Braxton – 'My Man'". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017.
"Director's Cut". Beyond the Spotlight. Season 1. March 23, 2018. Lifetime.
D'Zurilla, Christie (June 7, 2013). "Tamar Braxton, Vince Herbert Welcome a Baby Boy". The Baltimore Sun. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020.
Fitzgerald, Trent (September 15, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Drops Bouncy New Single 'Pick Me Up'". The Boombox. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017.
"Future Releases". All Access Music Group. July 18, 2017. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017.
Garwood, Bianca (June 19, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Has a New Album on the Way and It's Her 'Best Work Yet'". Ebony. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017.
Garwood, Bianca (September 15, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Shares a Friday Afternoon 'Pick Me Up'". Ebony. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017.
Guerra, Joey (September 20, 2017a). "Xscape, Tamar Braxton and Monica Bring the R&B Hits to Houston". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017.
Guerra, Joey (December 27, 2017b). "Joey Guerra's Picks for 10 Best Albums of 2017". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 27, 2017.
Hill, Libby (June 26, 2017). "Chance the Rapper, Solange Knowles and Five Must-See BET Awards Moments". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017.
Ip, Cyril (October 29, 2017). "Tamar Braxton's Bluebird of Happiness Is an Album That Soars [Review]". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021.
Kantor, Justin (May 3, 2017). "First Listen: Tamar Braxton Can't Believe She Stole 'My Man'". SoulTracks. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020.
Kellman, Andy. "Bluebird of Happiness Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017.
"Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Migos, Remy Ma Among BET Awards Winners". Variety. June 25, 2017. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017.
"Laurieann Gibson: Beyond the Spotlight". Lifetime. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023.
Leight, Elias; Spanos, Brittany; Reeves, Mosi; Johnston, Maura (June 26, 2017). "BET Awards 2017: 15 Best, Worst and WTF Moments". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017.
Leight, Elias (January 16, 2018). "On Anderson East's Encore, An Aspiring Soul Singer Steps Into His Own". Uproxx. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023.
Miller, Kai (October 5, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Offers Lil Mama Advice". BET. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017.
Mitchell, Gail (May 12, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Talks Single 'My Man' and New Album: 'I Know Who I Am as a Woman'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017.
Muhammad, Latifah (May 3, 2017). "Tamar Braxton Talks New Single 'My Man', Opens Up About Forgiving Her Father for Cheating On Her Mother". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017.
"'My Man' (Radio Edit) – Single". Apple Music. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017.
"'My Man' – Single". Apple Music. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017.
"'My Man' – Single". Apple Music. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023.
Rys, Dan (June 26, 2017). "The 10 Best Moments from the 2017 BET Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017.
Rose, Venus (April 27, 2017). "[Listen] Tamar Braxton's New Single - 'My Man'". The Source. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023.
Samuel, Renee (September 11, 2017). "Comedian DeRay Davis Explains What Started His Alleged Feud With Tamar Braxton". BET. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017.
Smith, Da'Shan (January 24, 2018). "The State Of Today's R&B According To The 2018 Grammy Nominations". Vibe. Archived from the original on April 14, 2018.
Smith, Patrick (June 26, 2017). "All of the Best Performances from the 2017 BET Awards". Complex. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017.
"Tamar Braxton Debuts New Music Video for 'My Man'". The Grio. June 26, 2017. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017.
"Tamar Braxton Gets Into It With Comedian DeRay Over Lip-Sync Joke". The Grio. September 8, 2017. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017.
Williams, Alexis Paige (June 25, 2017). "Was Tamar Braxton Lip-Syncing at the BET Awards? Twitter Is On the Case". Bustle. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017.
Wood, Mikael (June 25, 2017). "This Year's BET Awards Took a Dip in Energy — Then Came Tamar Braxton". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017.
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