"Do It" is a song by American singer
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...
. It was written by Braxton along with Percy Bady,
Paul Boutin
Paul Boutin (born December 11, 1961 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American magazine writer and editor who writes about technology in a pop-culture context.
Boutin, who began writing for ''Wired'' in 1997, wrote for ''The New York Times'' from 2003 ...
,
Kenneth Edmonds
Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...
, and
Antonio Dixon
Antonio Dixon (born July 17, 1985) is a former American football nose tackle. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2009. He played for the Eagles from 2009-2011 before being waived during final roster cuts, and ...
for her tenth studio album ''
Spell My Name
''Spell My Name'' is the tenth studio album by American singer Toni Braxton. It was released by Island Records on August 28, 2020. Her debut with the record label, following a short-lived stint with Def Jam Recordings on her eighth album ''Sex & C ...
'' (2020), while production was helmed by Dixon.
The R&B ballad was released as the album's first single on April 6, 2020, also serving as Braxton's debut with
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
.
It peaked at number 1 on the US
Adult R&B Songs
The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...
chart.
Background
"Do It" was written Braxton, Percy Bady,
Paul Boutin
Paul Boutin (born December 11, 1961 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American magazine writer and editor who writes about technology in a pop-culture context.
Boutin, who began writing for ''Wired'' in 1997, wrote for ''The New York Times'' from 2003 ...
, and Antonio Dixon.
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Dixon had to do some of the final mixing sessions over
Zoom
Zoom may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Zoom (software), videoconferencing application
* Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display
* Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...
due to the lockdown orders that were handed down in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in March 2020.
In a press release, Braxton revealed that the song was initially written in 2019 when one of her friends was going through the struggles of trying to end a bad relationship. The singer further commented: "We have all been through situations like this when there is really nothing more to say, you know he’s not right and you just need to do what you need to do. There is also an element of hope in the song, that after you do what you need to do things will get better.”
Critical reception
Christine Imarenezor from ''
Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...
'' called "Do It" an encouraging ballad on which Braxton "sings over a piano and violin-assisted melody, while offering encouraging advice of letting go of unhealthy or toxic love."
''
Rap-Up
''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...
'' found that "the sultry track hits close to home for Braxton",
while
SoulTracks
''SoulTracks'' is an American online magazine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine ...
called the song a "forlorn ballad about a lover", adding that "when Toni Braxton is singing sad, she’s usually doing something special. And "Do It" feels just right."
Elias Light from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' found that the song was "glacial but sweeping, a slow-rolling ballad that practically commands a friend to leave a crumbling relationship."
Promotion
Two
lyric video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
s for "Do It" premiered online during April 2020, one depicting a close-up performance from Braxton and the other of her lips mouthing the lyrics.
A homemade, phone-shot performance for "Do It" was also released on her
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
account, showing her lip-syncing the song in a lace bra.
Remixes
![Missy Elliott 2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Missy_Elliott_2006.jpg)
On May 8, 2020, Braxton's team released the Zac Samuel Remix of "Do It" to her
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
account, a
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
-fused uptempo remix of the song that was provided by British DJ Zac Samuel. On June 26, 2020, Braxton released another official remix featuring rapper
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
, which was produced by Elliott along with PromoBoi and Hannon Lane.
In a press statement that preceded its release, Elliott, who had never worked directly with Braxton before, commented: "Toni’s team reached out to my manager and asked if I could produce a remix for her next single. They said, ‘Hey if Missy wants to rap on it we would love that too.’ So they sent me the record and my boy Hannon and I, sped the track up to a mid-tempo and re-arranged the music.”
Elliott's remix, along with Dixon's original version, was included on the standard version of parent album ''
Spell My Name
''Spell My Name'' is the tenth studio album by American singer Toni Braxton. It was released by Island Records on August 28, 2020. Her debut with the record label, following a short-lived stint with Def Jam Recordings on her eighth album ''Sex & C ...
'' (2020).
Credits and personnel
Credits lifted from the single's liner notes.
* Percy Bady – keyboards, writing
*
Paul Boutin
Paul Boutin (born December 11, 1961 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American magazine writer and editor who writes about technology in a pop-culture context.
Boutin, who began writing for ''Wired'' in 1997, wrote for ''The New York Times'' from 2003 ...
–
mixing, vocal production, writing
* Toni Braxon – vocals, vocal production, writing
* Antonio Dixon – keyboards, production, writing
* Nigel Bond – production, writing
* Demonte Posey – strings
* Herb Powers Jr. –
mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{authority control
2020 singles
2020 songs
2020s ballads
Toni Braxton songs
Island Records singles
Contemporary R&B ballads
Songs written by Antonio Dixon (songwriter)
Songs written by Toni Braxton