Down for Whatever

For the song by rapper Ice Cube, see Lethal Injection (album).
"Down for Whatever"
Single by Kelly Rowland featuring The WAV.s
from the album Here I Am
Released October 26, 2011 (2011-10-26)
Format
Recorded
Genre
Length 3:55
Label Universal Motown
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • RedOne
  • Jimmy Joker
  • The WAV.s
Kelly Rowland singles chronology
"Lay It on Me"
(2011)		 "Down for Whatever"
(2011)		 "Summer Dreaming 2012"
(2012)
The WAV.s singles chronology
"I Like How It Feels"
(2011)		 "Down for Whatever"
(2011)

"Down for Whatever" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Rowland featuring production collective The WAV.s, taken from Rowland's third studio album Here I Am (2011). The song was released on October 26, 2011. The Eurodance driven up-tempo song is the album's third international single and sixth overall and final single, released from October 26, 2011 by Universal Motown Universal Music. "Down for Whatever" was written by Teddy Sky and Bilal Hajji and co-written and produced by RedOne, Jimmy Joker and The WAV.s.[1] The song has been described as an Eurodance and Electro music. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who say that the song is as catchy as Rowland's previous dance hits, "When Love Takes Over" and "Commander". It was also described as a "Radio friendly song".

"Down for Whatever" had commercial success, as the song charted at number-six in the UK Singles Chart and number-three on the UK Dance Chart. With the release of the single, an accompanying music video was directed by Sarah Chatfield, which features Rowland dancing and a number of different club lights, as the song is a club-dance song and was released on 19 October 2011. To promote the song, Rowland performed the song on The Graham Norton Show, The X Factor which Rowland served as a judge and the German version of the show, X Factor.

Background and composition

Kelly Rowland performing in Sydney, Australia in 2012.

"Down for Whatever" was written by Nadir Khayat, Teddy Sky, Jimmy Joker, Bilal Hajji. Production was handled by RedOne, Joker, and the WAV.s.[2] "Down For Whatever" is an eurodance song with electro music influences.[2][3] Built on a thumping beat and a pounding groove,[4] Rowland later visited Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California where "Down For Whatever" was recorded and the production was created.[5] the song's instrumentation includes vigorous synthesizers.[3] In the mood for some loving, Rowland tells her love interest, "Baby, let's get creative".[4] Before recording the song Rowland said that she wanted the whole album to be a distinctly different sound to both Rowland's previous albums; Simply Deep (2002) followed a rock–dance sound, while Ms. Kelly (2007) featured an urban sound.[6] And that she was going to be a lot more up-tempo on tracks, which guided her towards recording "Down for Whatever".[7]

When recording the album Rowland specifically noted that US and international audiences would appreciate a different sound from her album. The more up-tempo and dancier tracks were reserved for the international markets. "Down for Whatever" was only released to countries outside of North America.[8] It was later announced that Rowland would join the judging panel of the eighth series of The X Factor.[9]

On many occasions, Rowland has always expressed her love for dance music, however she said that the music would not be the type of music she would record. Although back in 2008 she met David Guetta, and the pair became friends and later in 2009, Rowland released her first dance single, "When Love Takes Over".[10] When Rowland began recording her third album, Here I Am, her record label, Columbia Records was not very enthuisatic about dance music, although Rowland was very keen to record dance genre.[11] This made Rowland depart from her record label and she later joined Universal Motown Records in 2009.[12] After the successful release of "Commander" Rowland decided to continue creating dance music for her upcoming third studio album.[7] In February 2011, during New York Fashion Week, Rowland confirmed that she also had sessions arranged with RedOne, which led to the conception of the album's tenth song, a Eurodance song called "Down for Whatever," co-produced by The WAV.s and Jimmy Joker.[2]

Release

"Down for Whatever" was picked by Universal Mowton Records as the third international single from the album, following the success of dance song, "Commander". The single's release date was decided with Rowland's role as a judge on The X Factor with an increase of sales in Rowland's music, her record label thought it would be a good promotional stunt for the single if Rowland performed the song live on the eighth series.[10][13] The single was released on October 26, 2011, and Rowland did not perform the song the day the song was performed, which sparked speculation that producers of the shows had refused Rowland to perform the song, however, she performed it the week after the release."[14] Rowland stated the song was considered as the first single from her debut album, Here I Am. However, she decided to release "Commander" first.[7] The song was not released as a single in the United States, however it was in the original tracking listing for the US version of the album.[15][16] "Down for Whatever" was released in New Zealand and Australia on October 26, 2011,[17][18][19] in Germany on November 4, 2011,[20] and was released as a digital download in the UK on November 20, 2011.[21][22]

Chart performance

Upon release of the single, "Down for Whatever" debted at number-six on the UK Singles Chart. The following week, Rowland performed on The X Factor which she served as a judge on. After the performance on the song, the song jumped back into the top-ten on the iTunes chart. The following week, the single fell to number-nine on the UK Singles Chart.[23] The song also charted at number-three on the UK Dance Chart. Following the performance on the The X Factor the song also charted at number 16 on the Irish Singles Chart. Before completing her role as a judge on UK version of The X Factor, Rowland flew to Germany to perform at the final of the German version of the programme with finalist, Raffaela Wais where the pair performed "When Love Takes Over" she later performed as a celebrity guest performing "Down for Whatever" and the song charted at number 31 on the German Singles Chart.[24]

Critical reception

Andy Kellman from Allmusic wrote that "Down for Whatever" is a more frictional eurodance number than "Commander", concluding that the former deserves the same commercial performance as the latter, which topped the club charts in the UK and US.[2] Elyssa Garnder from USA Today note that on "Down for Whatever", Rowland parties like she did in 2009 on the collaboration with French producer David Guetta, "When Love Takes Over".[4] Nathan S. of DJ Booth described "Down for Whatever" as a "club-focused leaning", adding that though it is not exactly groundbreaking, it delivers exactly what the genre demands.[25] Nick Levine BBC Music wrote that "Down for Whatever" suggests that Rowland's future could lie as "a kind of dance diva with street".[26] Sputnikmusic's was positive, but ultimately complaining that the album has less of the dance diva persona, reducing the club-centric tracks to only two songs, the Guetta-produced 'Commander' and the quite underwhelming 'Down For Whatever'."[27]

Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe commented that the sentiment behind the groove of the song should have been taken more seriously.[5] Michaelangelo Matos from the Los Angeles Times added that by the time Here I Am ends with "the stomping Euro-cheese 'Down for Whatever', with lyrics as shrugged-off as the title, it's hard not to want to find Rowland a life coach".[28] Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo wrote that the song "masks the falseness of the forced sexuality" by burying Rowland's voice in the song's instrumentation.[3] Hermione Hoby of The Guardian viewed "Down for Whatever" as generic and "abjectly titled".[29] Andy Gill of The Independent wrote that the lack of inspiration on Here I Am is nowhere better conveyed than on "Down for Whatever".[30]

Music video

Rowland in the music video for "Down for Whatever" while laying on a platform.

The music video was directed by Sarah Chatfield and was filmed back-to-back with single, "Lay It on Me" in early September 2011.[31] A music video to accompany the release of "Down for Whatever" was first released on 18 October 2011.[32] It was uploaded on YouTube on 19 October 2011 at a total length of four minutes and four seconds. It has drawn in over eight million viewers on YouTube since its release.,[33] while Rowland was serving as a judge on The X Factor. The music video starts with club lights flashing and the camera focused on Rowland's heels, before following Rowland's hands up her legs to her body. Standing on a big platform in the middle of an empty room, while on the platform, Rowland poses in many different dance moves, before the songs verse begins. Then there is shots of chains around her face and body and then back-up dances are seen dancing in front of a screen, and later Rowland is seen dancing with the back-up dancers. Rowland is then seen again, with a top hat on, singing into the camera, while wearing a swim-suit.

Track listing

  1. "Down for Whatever" (Album Version) – 3:55
  2. "Down for Whatever" (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Remix – Edit) – 4:00
  1. "Down for Whatever" (Album Version) – 3:53
  2. "Down for Whatever" (True Tiger Remix) – 3:56
  3. "Down for Whatever" (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Remix – Edit) – 3:59
  4. "Down for Whatever" (DJ Chuckie Remix) – 3:50

Credits

Recording[36]
Personnel[36]
  • RedOne – songwriter, producer, recording, engineering, instrumentation, programming and vocal arrangement
  • Teddy Sky – songwriter
  • Jimmy Joker – songwriter, producer, instrumentation and programming
  • Bilal "The Chef" – songwriter
  • The WAV.s – producer, instrumentation, programming and spoken vocals
  • AJ Junior – recording, engineering
  • Trevor Muzzy – recording, engineering and mixing
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
scope="row"Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[37] 60
scope="row"Germany (Official German Charts)[38] 31
scope="row"Ireland (IRMA)[39] 16
scope="row"Scotland (Official Charts Company)[40] 5
scope="row"Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[41] 20
scope="row"Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 62
scope="row"UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[43] 3
scope="row"UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[44] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[45] 159

Release history

Country Date Format Label
United Kingdom[46] September 12, 2011 Radio airplay Universal Motown
Australia[47] October 26, 2011 Digital download
New Zealand[48]
Australia[49] October 31, 2011 Mainstream radio airplay
Germany[50] November 4, 2011 Digital download
Austria[51]
Ireland[52] November 18, 2011
Norway[53]
Switzerland[54]
Belgium[55] November 20, 2011
Finland[56]
Italy[57]
Luxembourg[58]
Portugal[59]
United Kingdom[60]
Spain[61] November 21, 2011
Singapore[62]
Germany[34] December 2, 2011 CD single

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Billboard review 'Here I Am'".
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kellman, Andy (2011-07-25). "Here I Am – Kelly Rowland: Review". Allmusic. (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kelly Rowland – Here I Am". Slant Magazine. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  4. 1 2 3 Gardner, Elyssa (2011-07-25). "Kelly Rowland says 'Here I Am' with Predictable Pop". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  5. 1 2 Capobianco, Ken (2011-07-25). "Kelly Rowland, 'Here I Am'". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  6. ↑ Eger-Cooper, Matilda (2010-07-09). "Kelly Rowland – In control of her own destiny". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  7. 1 2 3 Patterson, Joseph (2010-05-25). "Kelly Rowland: The Interview". MTV UK. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  8. ↑ Rowland, Kelly (2010-08-15). The Madd Hatter Morning Show (Interview). Interview with Madd Hatter. Houston, Texas: KBXX http://www.themhms.com/2010/08/15/kelly-rowland-drops-by-the-mhms-and-talks-about-her-new-projects/. Retrieved 2010-08-17. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ Fletcher, Alex (30 May 2011). "Tulisa, Kelly Rowland confirmed for 'X Factor'". Digital Spy. London: Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  10. 1 2 Catarinella, Alex (July 2010). "Kelly Rowland Takes Control: The former Destiny's Child member on her upcoming album, nude beaches and being a nerd". PAPERMAG. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  11. ↑ Browne, Sarah (25 December 2010). "Generating hit songs on the double". The Sunday Mail. News Corporation. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  12. ↑ Copsey, Robert (2010-06-25). "Kelly Rowland "Old Label Dumped Me"". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  13. ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a353846/justin-bieber-kelly-rowland-to-perform-on-x-factor-semi-final.html
  14. ↑ Patterson, Joseph (2010-05-25). "Kelly Rowland refused to perform on X Factor?". MTV UK. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  15. ↑ Universal Motown (2011-06-30). "Kelly Rowland's Long Awaited Third Album". Hmv.co.jp (HMV Group). Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  16. ↑ Here I Am (booklet). Kelly Rowland. Universal Republic, Motown (Universal Music). 2011.
  17. ↑ iTunes – Music – Down for Whatever (feat. The WAV.s) [Remixes] – EP by Kelly Rowland
  18. ↑ bandit.fm – urbanation – Kelly Rowland
  19. ↑ iTunes – Music – Down for Whatever (feat. The WAV.s) [Remixes] – EP by Kelly Rowland
  20. ↑ Down For Whatever: Kelly Rowland: Amazon.de: MP3-Downloads
  21. ↑ 4Music – News – General – Kelly Rowland previews her Down For Whatever video
  22. ↑ Singles Release Diary – Music – Digital Spy
  23. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/1/2011-12-03/
  24. ↑ http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/Kelly+Rowland/Down+for+Whatever/single
  25. ↑ "Kelly Rowland, 'Here I Am'". DJ Booth. 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  26. ↑ Levine, Nick (2011-11-21). "Kelly Rowland Here I Am Review". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  27. ↑ C. Urrutia, Ian Emmanuel (September 8, 2011). "Kelly Rowland – Here I Am (album review) – Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  28. ↑ Matos, Michaelangelo (2011-07-25). "Album review: Kelly Rowland's 'Here I Am'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  29. ↑ "Kelly Rowland: Here I Am – review". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  30. ↑ Gill, Andy (2011-11-25). "Album: Kelly Rowland, Here I Am (Universal Island)". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  31. ↑ http://www.rap-up.com/2011/09/07/kelly-rowland-to-shoot-two-new-videos/
  32. ↑
  33. ↑ Kelly Rowland – Down For Whatever ft. The WAV.s on YouTube
  34. 1 2 http://www.amazon.de/Down-Whatever-2-Track-Kelly-Rowland/dp/B0062Z22CG/
  35. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/down-for-whatever-feat.-the/id473634457
  36. 1 2 Here I Am (liner notes). Kelly Rowland. Universal Motown Records, Universal Republic Records. 2011. B0014495-02.
  37. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kelly Rowland feat. the WAV.s – Down for whatever" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  38. ↑ "Musicline.de – Kelly Rowland Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  39. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 48, 2011". Irish Singles Chart.
  40. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-12-03". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  41. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert {{{year}}}{{{week}}} into search.
  42. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kelly Rowland – Down for Whatever". Swiss Singles Chart.
  43. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-12-03" UK Dance Chart.
  44. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-12-03" UK Singles Chart.
  45. ↑ "Charts Plus Year end 2011" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  46. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/61jmDCuEY
  47. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/down-for-whatever-feat.-the/id473634457
  48. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/down-for-whatever-feat.-the/id473634457
  49. ↑ http://www.themusicnetwork.com/music-releases/singles/2011/10/31/issue--860/
  50. ↑ http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B005YN16VK/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1322185810&sr=8-1
  51. ↑ http://at.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  52. ↑ http://ie.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  53. ↑ http://no.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  54. ↑ http://de-ch.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  55. ↑ http://nl-be.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  56. ↑ http://fi.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  57. ↑ http://it.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  58. ↑ http://lu.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  59. ↑ http://pt.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  60. ↑ http://www.hmvdigital.com/artist/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever
  61. ↑ http://es.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
  62. ↑ http://sg.7digital.com/artists/kelly-rowland/down-for-whatever/
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