"Right Here (Departed)" is a song by American recording artist

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), better known by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. She is known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layer ...

. It was written by

Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

and

The Writing Camp The Writing Camp is an American songwriting collective, founded by Evan "Kidd" Bogart and David "DQ" Quiñones. Since its formation in 2007, the team has been responsible for a series of successful released in pop, R&B and dance music, includi ...

members

Evan "Kidd" Bogart Evan Bogart (born January 23, 1978), better known as E. Kidd Bogart, is an American songwriter, music publisher, record executive and film & television producer. He is the son of Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart and former music manager Joyc ...

Victoria Horn Victoria Jane Horn (also known as Lady V) is an English Grammy Award winning songwriter and ASCAP and BMI heavy rotation award winner. Personal life Victoria Horn began studying the piano at age three and later learned the guitar. At an early ...

, Erika Nuri, and David "DQ" Quiñones and produced by Jerkins for her fifth studio album ''

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

'' (2008). Not recorded until late into the production of the album, it set much of the tone for the final ''Human'' track listing as it was the first out of several new songs Norwood and Jerkins recorded together following his absence on her previous album '' Afrodisiac'' (2004). Its lyrics chronicle a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones. Picked as the album's leading single and Norwood's first release with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

following her departure from the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

label in 2005, the song premiered on her official webpage on August 13, 2008. Her first release in four years, it was officially serviced to US radio on August 25, 2008, prior to receiving a major release between September 2008 and March 2009 on most international territories. While "Right Here (Departed)" became a moderate hit in the US, where it reached number 34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the track emerged as her highest-charting single in years, reaching the top ten of the

French Singles Chart French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

, top twenty on the

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

, and the top of ''Billboard''s

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. An accompanying

music 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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Right Here (Departed)" was directed by

Little X Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...

and filmed in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in August 2008. Loosely inspired by the

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

Francis Lawrence Francis Lawrence (born March 26, 1971) is an Austrian-born American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thrille ...

's 2007

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

'' I Am Legend'', it depicts Norwood as an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

, who is crossing over to the

intermediate state In some forms of Christianity the intermediate state or interim state is a person's existence between death and the universal resurrection. In addition, there are beliefs in a particular judgment right after death and a general judgment or last ...

and coming back into her family and friend's lives, comforting them just with her singing. It reached the top of

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'' countdown and was voted number sixty-nine on '' BET: Notarized'' Top 100 videos of 2008. Part of the set-lists of Norwood's

Human World Tour The Human World Tour is the second solo concert tour by American recording artist, Brandy. Often acknowledged as the Just Human Tour, the outing supported her fifth studio album, ''Human''. The tour was the singer's first concert tour in nearly t ...

(2009), the song was performed live on several televised events, including ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

'', ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

'' and

's ''Just Human'' special (2008).

Background and recording

In June 2004, Norwood's fourth studio album, '' Afrodisiac'', was released on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. While the album became a critical success, it enjoyed mediocre commercial success only: Though it debuted at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200, it generally failed to chart or sell noticeably outside the United States. Lead single "

Talk About Our Love "Talk About Our Love" is a song recorded by American singer Brandy for her fourth studio album '' Afrodisiac'' (2004). It was written by Kanye West, who also appears as a featured artist on it, and Harold Lilly, while production was handled by ...

", featuring rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, reached number six in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

but later singles failed to score successfully on the popular music charts. The following year, after eleven years with the company, Norwood asked for and received an unconditional release from Atlantic, citing her wish "to move on" as the main reason for her decision. Completing her contract with the label, a compilation album compiling her first four studio albums with Atlantic, entitled ''

The Best of Brandy ''The Best of Brandy'' is the first greatest hits album by American singer Brandy. It was released on March 28, 2005 by Atlantic Records, completing her contract with the label after being signed since 1994. The album comprises nearly all of Nor ...

'', was released in March 2005. Thereupon, she reportedly started shopping for a new record deal under

Knockout Entertainment Knockout Entertainment is singer Ray J's vanity label, founded in 2001. The label specializes in R&B, hip hop, and gospel. Originally released under Sanctuary Records, a press release in December 2007 announced a new partnership with E1 Records. ...

, her brother's

vanity label A vanity label (see related topic on vanity press) is an informal name sometimes given to a record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, ...

, and began work on her fifth studio album independently with a wider range of songwriters and producers. Penned by

and his fellow Writing Camp members Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri and David Quiñones, "Right Here (Departed)" was not recorded until late into the production of the ''

'' album. It was the first out of several Rodney Jerkins-crafted

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

tracks ''Human'' A&R Brandon Creed presented to Norwood and the first song Jerkins and Brandy recorded together at the 2nd Floor Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

following the pair's musical reunification in early June 2008. It would eventually version as the result convinced Norwood and her team to replace actual main producer Brian Kennedy in favor of Jerkins. While "Right Here (Departed)" was not specifically created for Brandy or the ''Human'' album, Bogart called it an "honor" to have the singer record one of their songs. "I think it's definitely a great comeback song for her, stylistically and conceptually," he said. "It's like working a new artist." Her first record as a member of The Writing Team, Erika Nuri, added: "It is truly an honor and a blessing to have her first single, especially knowing that so many other great songwriters and producers were gunning for it and are on the album. I do think it's a perfect comeback song for her. A song for her old fans, but also new enough for kids that have never heard her before to gravitate too." Norwood noted the song "a Brandy song" and "reconnect" with Jerkins: "Our experience this time has been very magical," she said about collaboration with Jerkins. "Our sound is a little bit different from our old sound, utit's like something that we would have done but on another level. Like the new version of who we are .." Lyrically, "Departed" chronicle a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones. Recorded with therapeutical background, Norwood has noted the fatal 2006 car accident, in which she was involved, as a reason for its inclusion on the album. "To know that you have somebody by your side who is gonna always be there for you, that comforts you in a way and that kinda gives you an extra confidence about yourself," she said, "And that's what I love about it: It's first the message and then you get into the beat and the whole musical part of it. I think everyone's gonna be able to relate to that ..It's universal."

Release and reception

The song premiered on Norwood's official webpage on August 13, 2008."Listen to Brandy's New Single"
. ''Foreverbrandy.com''. Retrieved on 2008-08-12. A remix of "Right Here (Departed)", featuring rapper The Game, was released in November 2008, with another remix featuring former Epic Records label mate

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...

being

leak A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usually ...

ed in December 2008. Upon its release, the track garnered generally positive reviews by music critics. Alex Macpherson of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' declared "Right Here (Departed)" ''Human''s "finest moment" and wrote that "Norwood turns to face the world, though: 'Right Here (Departed)' is a cosmic, ride-or-die declaration of epic scope." Emmanuel Ezugwu, reviewer for

RWD Magazine ''RWD Magazine'' (also known as ''RWD'' or ''RWDmag'') is a British-based magazine which features music, style, sport, gaming, film, technology, news, interviews and charts on hip hop, grime, dubstep, R&B, UK garage, drum and bass and U.S. ...

, called the song a "joyous ode to overcoming insurmountable odds." ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' writer Mikael Wood, barely satisfied with ''Human'' in general, called "Right Here (Departed)" one of the "few highlights" on the album, stating: "Catchy lead single 'Right Here (Departed)' manages to dial down Brandy's introspection and increase the groove factor." Shanel Odum 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 the track "a graceful return to her melodic origins" and praised Norwood's "husky but hopeful, but still pain-infused" vocal performance. ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' reviewer Glenn Gamboa wrote: "With the help of producer Rodney Jerkins, Brandy radiates warmth and hopefulness throughout ''Human'' – not in the naive way of someone who doesn't know any better, but in the determined way of someone who does. Her delivery on the up-tempo "Right Here (Departed)" reflects those choices. There's no showing off with vocal acrobatics or flashy production, just a premium on the melody and the mood."

Chart performance

Brandy's first release in four years, "Right Here (Departed)" premiered via Brandy's official webpage on August 13, 2008, and officially serviced to US radio on August 25, 2008. It debuted at number 83 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 issue dated September 27, 2008, being the fourth-highest new entry of the week. Although the song fell four spots the following week, it slowly rose week by week and eventually peaked at number 34 on the Hot 100 chart, following the album's release on December 9. On ''Billboard'''s genre charts, the single reached the top spot on the

chart (becoming Brandy's first single to do so) and number 22 on both the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and the

Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...

charts. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, "Right Here (Departed)" became Brandy's highest-charting single since 2002's " What About Us?". It debuted at number 95 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

, dropped one week after and made a re-entry a month later on the chart, eventually rising to its peak position of number 39. In Europe, the single reached number twenty-four on the

Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

chart and moreover made it to the top ten in France, where it became her best-selling effort in ten years, reaching a peak position of number seven based on digital downloads only. It has since remained thirty-seven weeks within the top 100 of the chart. In addition, "Right Here" scored top forty entries in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, Germany, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, where it outsold any single release taken from previous album '' Afrodisiac'' (2004).

Music video

The

for "Right Here (Departed)", Norwood's first collaboration with Canadian director

, was filmed on August 17, 2008, in

. The concept of the video was chosen out of several different ideas. Norwood, who cited the "realness" of X's treatment as its strength, described the video about being there for a loved one. The concept depicts Norwood as an

, who is "crossing over to the other side and coming back into my family's life. Just popping up everywhere, just singing to them," she said, also noting its '' I Am Legend'' feel. "You can take it like you're talking about a mother and a daughter, a sister, brother, girlfriend, whatever — it's universal in that way ..sometimes you see me on the street by myself completely, and it's pretty cool. I'm really excited about it .." Shot on-street and in front of a

greenscreen Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and displa ...

, it features

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

s by Jerkins and Norwood's younger brother

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording a ...

, also starring actor

Cory Hardrict Cory Hardrict (born November 9, 1979) is an American actor. He has appeared in film and television since the late 1990s. Personal life Hardrict was born in Chicago, Illinois. After dating for six years, Hardrict and actress Tia Mowry were engage ...

as a central character. The full production of the clip was tracked by

's ''

Access Granted ''Access Granted'' is an American television series that features an in depth look at the planning, filming and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video pre ...

'' television series, with the final cut eventually premiering on

small screen Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

on September 3, 2008, at the end of its ''Access Granted'' episode and online at 3:00 pm PT on

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...

. Although the shooting of a scene with Norwood interacting with a young girl was captured by ''Access Granted'', the sequence was not included into the final cut of the video. On October 31, 2008, the video reached number one on

's ''

'' countdown. In addition, it was voted number 69 on '' BET: Notarized'' Top 100 videos of 2008. The video begins with the

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...

opening up and with the title name. In the first verse, Norwood appears in front of the sky and on a sidewalk near town when she sings to a man, giving him solace. During the second verse and chorus, a woman is walking out of a factory crying. When Norwood appears to her, the cars standing in the parking lot disappear. During the bridge, Norwood appears on two bridges and a tunnel. At the end of the video, Norwood disappears and the man and woman wake up from their

daydream Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...

, both looking more comfortable.

Formats and track listings

;US promo CD remixes # "Right Here (Departed)" (

Seamus Haji Seamus may refer to: * Séamus, a male first name of Gaelic origin Film and television * Seamus (''Family Guy''), a character on the television series ''Family Guy'' * Seamus, a pigeon in '' Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' * Seamus Mc ...

& Paul Emanuel club mix) – 8:53 # "Right Here (Departed)" ( Moto Blanco club mix) – 6:52 # "Right Here (Departed)" (Mad decent mad right mix) – 4:36 # "Right Here (Departed)" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel radio edit) – 4:08 # "Right Here (Departed)" (Moto Blanco radio edit) – 3:35 # "Right Here (Departed)" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel dub mix) – 7:09 # "Right Here (Departed)" (Moto Blanco dub mix) – 7:01 ;US promo CD # "Right Here (Departed)" (main version) – 3:39 # "Right Here (Departed)" (piano intro version) – 3:41 # "Right Here (Departed)" (instrumental) – 3:40 ;French CD single # "Right Here (Departed)" (album version) # "Right Here (Departed)" (piano intro version) ;German basic CD # "Right Here (Departed)" (main version) – 3:39 # "Right Here (Departed)" (remix, featuring

) – 3:41 ;German premium CD # "Right Here (Departed)" (main version) # "Gonna Find My Love" # "Right Here (Departed)" (Moto Blanco club mix) – 6:52 # "Right Here (Departed)" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel dub mix) – 7:09 # "Right Here (Departed)" (music video) – 3:39

Credits and personnel

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

: Brandy Norwood *Additional backing vocals: Rodney Jerkins *Vocal production:

LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger known for his songwriting credits on songs by artists such as Brandy, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jacks ...

, & Brandy Norwood *Recording engineers: Mike Donaldson, & Paul Foley *Music performed by:

*Strings arranged and conducted by: Rodney Jerkins * Mixing: Manny Marroquin, R. Jerkins **Mixing assistance: Chris Plata, Erik Madrid *Mastering: Brian Gardner

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

External links

ForeverBrandy.com
— official site {{Brandy Norwood singles 2008 singles Brandy Norwood songs Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by E. Kidd Bogart Music videos directed by Director X Songs written by Victoria Horn Songs written by Erika Nuri Songs written by David Quinones 2008 songs Epic Records singles