"If I Don't Have You" is a song by American singer

Tamar Braxton Tamar Estine Braxton (born March 17, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Braxton began her career in 1990 as a founding member of The Braxtons, an R&B singing group formed with her sisters. The Braxtons r ...

. It was released on May 27, 2015 as a digital download through

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

and

Streamline Records Vincent Herbert (born January 27, 1972) is an American record executive and record producer. He founded Streamline Records in 2007, an imprint of Interscope Records through which he has signed artists including Lady Gaga, Greyson Chance, Tamar ...

, replacing " Let Me Know" (2014) as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from Braxton's fourth studio album '' Calling All Lovers''. The song was written by Braxton, Kevin Randolph, Tony Russell, Makeba Riddick-Woods,

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark MC (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving ...

, Marcos Palacios,

LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger. Often in tandem with producer Rodney Jerkins, he is known for his songwriting work for R&B singers such as Brandy, Beyoncé, ...

, and Tiyon "TC" Mack, while production was handled by Da Internz. "If I Don't Have You" is a

mid-tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...

R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

with lyrics revolving around

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep affection, or may consciously reject it knowing that the admirer admires them. Me ...

and the end of a relationship. Braxton said that the single was partially inspired by her past romantic relationships, and emphasized the importance of transparency with oneself. Critical response to "If I Don't Have You" was positive, with

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

praising its composition. It received a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

. The single peaked at number 18 on the

Hot R&B Songs Hot R&B Songs is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular R&B songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations, digital download sales and streaming data. It was establi ...

''Billboard'' chart and number 19 on the

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot 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 ...

''Billboard'' chart. In an accompanying music video released on June 9, 2015, Braxton plays a prostitute who develops a one-sided relationship with one of her clients. The visual features American television personality

NeNe Leakes Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (; née Johnson; born December 13, 1967) is an American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer. She first rose to prominence after becoming the breakout star on B ...

as the

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French la ...

. Even though the song focuses on a romantic relationship, the video does not include a male lead. The clip received positive responses from critics.

Background and release

"If I Don't Have You" was written by

, Kevin Randolph, Tony Russell, Makeba Riddick-Woods,

, Marcos Palacios,

, and Tiyon "TC" Mack; the song was produced by Da Internz. The audio was mixed by Mack, and Gene Gremaldi worked as the mastering engineer. The song was made available on May 27, 2015 as a digital download through

and

. It was promoted as the

from Braxton's fourth studio album '' Calling All Lovers''. Braxton's 2014 song " Let Me Know" was initially designated as the album's lead single before it was replaced by "If I Don't Have You". The release was scheduled alongside the premiere of the fourth season of the

reality television series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

Braxton Family Values ''Braxton Family Values'' (abbreviated ''BFV'') is an American reality television series that airs on WE tv and premiered on April 12, 2011. It chronicled the lives of the Braxton sisters—Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar and their mot ...

''. Prior to the release of "If I Don't Have You", Braxton had posted the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

"#TamartianSurprise" on her

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

accounts.

Composition and lyrics

"If I Don't Have You" is a

R&B

that lasts four minutes and 12 seconds. Brent Faulkner of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' viewed the single as a "throwback

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

record". The instrumental includes a

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, and the song focuses on

and the end of a relationship. Lyrics include: “You should know if I don’t have you, Rocks me to the core / I can’t love no more / If I don’t have you, know I’m done for sure / Nobody worth fighting for.” Throughout the single, Braxton uses her

upper register A register is the range within pitch space of some music or often musical speech. It may describe a given pitch or pitch class (or set of them), a human voice or musical instrument (or group of them), or both, as in a melody or part. It is also oft ...

to sing: "I can't love no more / If I don't have you / Know I'm done for sure / Nobody worth fighting for" and "I'm tired of these walls / That's on my life / I'll lose my mind if I don't have you." According to ''Essence'''s Imani Brammer, "If I Don't Have You" functions as an "ode to vulnerability and honesty". Braxton explained: "The whole vibe of 'If I Don't Have You' is about being transparent, being aware with yourself." The singer also connected the single's content with her past romantic relationships by commenting: "I have nothing to hide about how I feel. Before I was married I kissed a lot of frogs and ogres, I talk about those experiences candidly."

Reception

Critical reception towards "If I Don't Have You" was primarily positive upon its release. It received a nomination for the

at the

. The song received positive comparisons to

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole (née Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Dubbed by critics as the " Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", she is known for her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Bor ...

's 2013 single " I Choose You" and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

' 2003 song "

You Don't Know My Name "You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, issued by J Records as the lead single from her second studio album, ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' (2003). Written by Keys, Kanye West and Harold Lilly (songwriter), Ha ...

". In a review for ''Calling All Lovers'', Diamond Hillyer of ''Vibe'' praised the song's composition as "sprightly instrumentals" that would appeal to listeners. Matthew Scott Donnelly of ''

PopCrush Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' wrote that the track was appropriate for those who are in "the mood for a good cry (or perhaps an all-out profound wail)".

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

's Mike Wass praised Braxton's vocals on the single, but later reassessed "If I Don't Have You" as a "little undercooked" in comparison to other tracks on ''Calling All Lovers''. "If I Don't Have You" peaked at number 18 on the

''Billboard'' chart on August 1, 2015, and remained on the chart for eight weeks. It also reached number 19 on the

''Billboard'' chart on August 15, 2015, and stayed on the chart for 19 weeks.

Music video

Background and synopsis

lyric video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an 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 intended to promote the sale of m ...

for the single was released on June 11, 2015. The lyrics are displayed on a series of black-and-white newspaper clippings and colored graphics. The single's cover art also includes the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

and the first verse. An accompanying music video, directed by Darren Craig, was made available through Braxton's

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

account on July 9, 2015, approximately two months following the single's release. Prior to its premiere, Braxton had shown a preview on her official website. The music video takes place in a

, in which the singer plays one of its prostitutes, along with her close friends Shateria Moragne-el, Khadijah Hagg, and Malika Haqq in similar roles. While discussing her character in the visual's narrative, Braxton explained "it doesn't necessarily mean that we're selling ourselves. It just means we're all looking for something". In the video, Braxton develops a one-sided relationship with one of the clients. A majority of the clip focuses on Braxton performing the song while modeling. It ends with the singer left alone while crying about her lost love. Even though the single's lyrics focus on missing a romantic partner, the video does not prominently feature a male lead. Braxton's mother also appears in the visual as one of the brothel's customers. American television personality

appears as the brothel's

in the video's opening sequence. In the visual, Nene orders Braxton and the other women to "get on their backs and make her money". Afiya Augustine noted that Nene's performance was heavily influenced by

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

. During an interview with ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'', Braxton said that Leakes was the first person to call to participate in the video; she explained that if Leakes was unable to play the madam, then she would have altered the entire concept for the visuals. Braxton said that she intentionally made the time period for the video ambiguous to read as either the 1930s or 2015. When writing about the video's style,

Wetpaint Wetpaint was an Internet company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Function(X). Founded in 2005, Wetpaint both published the website Wetpaint Entertainment, focused on entertainment news, and developed a proprietary technology platform, the Socia ...

's Afiya Augustine attributed it as having a "jazzy,

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

, 1920s feel". Sophie Schillaci of ''Entertainment Tonight'' connected the video with the 1989 film ''

Harlem Nights ''Harlem Nights'' is a 1989 American crime comedy drama film starring, written, and directed by Eddie Murphy. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx (in his last film appearance before his death in 1991), Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Del ...

''. The video received positive responses from critics. While he questioned how the visuals matched the song, Kevin Apaza of Direct Lyrics praised Braxton's wardrobe and appearance, writing that she "serv dbody, face and life throughout the whole of it". The clip was noted as having "diva-driven cinematic visuals" by Diamond Hillyer.

Live performance

Braxton performed "If I Don't Have You" on the

BET Awards 2015 The 15th BET Awards was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on June 28, 2015 and was televised on BET. This year marked the ceremony's 15th anniversary and the milestone was celebrated throughout the show, which was hosted ...

, along with American singers

K. Michelle Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American Country, Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, and television personality. She was a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series ''Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' during its first two sea ...

and

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

. As part of the performance, Michelle sang her 2015 single "

Hard to Do "Hard to Do" is a song by American singer K. Michelle from her second studio album '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' (2014). The song was released in 2015 as the fourth single from the album. It was written by K. Michelle, Bianca Atterberry, Maur ...

" and the three artists performed LaBelle's 1983 single "

If Only You Knew "If Only You Knew" is a single written and produced primarily by Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs for American singer Patti LaBelle's sixth solo album, '' I'm in Love Again''. It was released as the album's official first single in 1983, spendin ...

". The performance was noted by media outlets as ending the rivalry between Braxton and Michelle; Braxton said: “Life is all about forgiveness, love, and unity, so tonight, I’m sorry K. Michelle, and I also forgive you.” The two artists previously had disagreements after Braxton joked about Michelle's allegations that she was physically abused by her ex-boyfriend. A writer for

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

described the performance as a "battle of the ballads".

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Calling All Lovers''. Management *EMI Blackwood Music Inc *Miserable Girl Inc. (BMI) *EMI Blackwood Music Inc *Janice Combs Publishing and Yoga Flames Music (BMI) *EMI April Music Inc *The Book Productions (ASCAP) *Sony/ATV TwoWorks (ASCAP) *Sony/ATV Viva Panama (ASCAP) *Sony/ATV Tunes LLC *Make Ah Sound (ASCAP) *Chicago Wind (ASCAP) *BMG *Stankin Music (ASCAP) Personnel * Songwriting – Tamar Braxton, Kevin Randolph, Tony Russell, Makeba Riddick-Woods, Ernest Clark, Marcos Palacios, LaShawn Daniels, and Tiyon "TC" Mack * Production – Da Internz * Mixing – Tiyon "TC" Mack * Mastering engineer – Gene Gremaldi

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2014 songs Epic Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by LaShawn Daniels Songs written by Makeba Riddick Songs written by Tamar Braxton Soul ballads Tamar Braxton songs