"Can I Get a Moment?" is a song recorded by Australian singer

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (; born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the Australian Idol (season 4), fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and s ...

for the platinum edition of her third studio album, '' Beautiful''. It was released on 17 October 2014 as the album's fifth overall single and the first single from the platinum edition. "Can I Get a Moment?" was written by Antonio Dixon, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, Carmen Reece, Leon Thomas III and Helen Jane Culver. Production of the song was helmed by Edmonds, Dixon and The Rascals. Musically, "Can I Get a Moment?" is an

up-tempo A variety of musical terms is encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

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 ...

song that consists of a

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

, horns, "chunky beats" and handclaps. Upon its release, the song received positive reviews from various publications, who praised its production and Mauboy's vocal performance. "Can I Get a Moment?" debuted at number five on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and became her eighth top-ten single. It was certified platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

for sales exceeding 70,000 copies. The accompanying music video was directed by Stu Gosling and filmed at Crown casino in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. It features various shots of Mauboy in several outfits, singing the song's lyrics in different sets and in front of different coloured backgrounds. The video received positive feedback from critics, who compared it to

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's video for " Love on Top" (2011) and noted that Mauboy was channeling

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

. However, the video received mixed opinions from fans, who complained about Mauboy's outfits and the video's budget. She promoted the song with interviews and performances on television and radio programs.

Background and release

"Can I Get a Moment?" was written by Antonio Dixon, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, Carmen Reece, Leon Thomas III and Helen Jane Culver. It was produced by Edmonds, Dixon and The Rascals. Mauboy was gifted the song by Edmonds after she was given the rare opportunity to write and work with him in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in September 2014. On working with Edmonds, Mauboy said: "Working with someone like him is something I have always dreamt with and we had had three good writing sessions when he played me 'Can I Get a Moment?'. It's so funky and cool that as soon as I heard it I told them 'This is my track!'" On 28 September 2014, it was announced that "Can I Get a Moment?" would be released as Mauboy's next single. The song was then made available to pre-order the following day. An audio teaser of "Can I Get a Moment?" was uploaded to Mauboy'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 30 September 2014. The song was released both digitally and physically on 17 October 2014, as the fifth overall single from Mauboy's third studio album, '' Beautiful'', and the first single from the album's platinum edition. The physical release features a Carl remix of the album's fourth single " Never Be the Same". An acoustic version of "Can I Get a Moment?" was released digitally on 13 March 2015.

Composition

"Can I Get a Moment?" is an

and

song with a duration of three minutes and twenty-five seconds. Its instrumentation consists of a

, horns, "chunky beats" and handclaps. Naomi Janes of '' Renowned for Sound'' noted that "Can I Get a Moment?" features "'

Blurred Lines "Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the a ...

' style

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

" and compared Mauboy's vocals to Christina Aguilera. Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that the song "sounds like a winning mix of '' B'Day''-era

and

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

's ' Bang Bang'", while Kathy McCabe of News.com.au felt it was reminiscent of

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

' " Come Get It Bae". "Can I Get a Moment?" opens with a purring vocal style by Mauboy as she sings: "Too hot to touch, I'm burnin' up, Have you heard the news? I'm on the move". In 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 ...

, Mauboy sings: "No disrespect, I'm not impressed, right now I'm doing me. You do the most, you're way too close, it's hard for me to breathe! Can I get a moment?". In an interview with ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', Mauboy described the song as "sexy" and "sassy" and said "it is about being in a really great place, my head is clear and I am just having a moment and I'm celebrating that moment".

Reception

Naomi Janes of '' Renowned for Sound'' awarded "Can I Get a Moment?" three stars out of five and called it a "catchy" track that "is a fresh and new sound" for Mauboy. Janes also praised Mauboy's "impressive vocals", noting that it is "the most redeeming feature" on "Can I Get a Moment?". Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that the song "sounds like an on-trend, percussion-heavy club-banger", while '' Take 40 Australia'' described it as a "sassy new anthem" and "certified bop". "Can I Get a Moment?" earned Mauboy a nomination for Best Female Artist at the 2015 ARIA Music Awards. For the issue dated 27 October 2014, "Can I Get a Moment?" debuted at number five on the

and became Mauboy's eighth top-ten single, fifth top-five single and her third top-ten debut. It also became the third top-ten single from ''Beautiful'', following " Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" and "Never Be the Same". The song spent its first two weeks in the top-ten. "Can I Get a Moment?" was certified platinum by the

for sales exceeding 70,000 copies.

Music video

Background and synopsis

The music video was directed by Stu Gosling and filmed at Crown casino in

. It premiered on Mauboy's Vevo account on 29 October 2014. A first look at the video was shown on ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

'' earlier that day. The video opens with a close-up shot of Mauboy who appears in front of a gold background. She is then seen performing on stage with her band, while wearing a black form-fitted jumpsuit with a diamond choker necklace. This is intercut with scenes of Mauboy wearing a green cut-out dress and singing in front of a blue background.> The video then shows Mauboy and her two female backup singers sitting in a dark room, while wearing black pantsuits. This is followed by scenes of Mauboy singing in front of the gold background, while

split screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts * Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen * ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001 * Split screen, a focusing screen in a ...

and mirrored shots of men from her band playing instruments are shown. The video then returns to Mauboy performing on stage with her band. This is intercut with mirrored shots of Mauboy and her backup singers, singing in front of a black and white background. Scenes from throughout the video are then intercut with each other. The video ends with Mauboy posing to the camera.

Reception

Idolator's Mike Wass called it a "cute (but familiar) video" and noted that it drew inspiration from Beyoncé's " Love on Top" video, writing "It's hardly surprising given auboy'slove for all things Queen Bey and the format fits the song perfectly". Natalie Miller of

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

noted that Mauboy channeled "a bit of Mariah 'diva' Carey attitude" in the clip. Chris Urankar of ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...

'' magazine also thought that Mauboy channeled Carey, noting that she unleashed "a little of her inner diva". The video received mixed opinions from fans on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

and

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, complaining about everything from Mauboy's outfits to the budget of the clip. One fan said "the video looks like it cost $2", while another fan noted "All her outfits were not very flattering of her figure. This to me is her worst video". Adam Bub of MusicFix defended the video, writing "What's the fuss all about? There's no twerking, boozing or gratuitous body shots like other pop stars' clips... but does that make it a boring watch? Jess' music videos do tend to err on the safe side, but there's nothing wrong with that either."

Promotion

Mauboy promoted "Can I Get a Moment?" with radio interviews on '' Smallzy's Surgery'' (3 October 2014), '' Fitzy and Wippa'' (23 October 2014) and Joy 94.9 (31 October 2014). On 20 October 2014, she performed the song during the grand final live decider show of the sixth series of '' The X Factor Australia''. For the performance, Mauboy wore a gold outfit covered in tassels and performed in front of a background of honeycomb patterns. Similarly, ''Take 40 Australia'' wrote that they loved "the sassy Beyoncé-style" choreography. Annabel Ross of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' described Mauboy's performance as "vivacious". Mauboy also performed "Can I Get a Moment?" on ''Sunrise'' (22 October 2014) and at Sony Foundation's Wharf4Ward fundraiser in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

(23 October 2014). On 26 November 2014, she performed the song at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards. On 4 December 2014, Mauboy performed "Can I Get a Moment?" at the Sydney Opera House in a lemon dress to launch the 2015 Australia Day celebrations. She also performed "Can I Get a Moment?" at

iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast, radio streaming and Music Streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. Founded in August 2008, iHeartRadio serves as the national umbrella brand for iHeart ...

's first Ultimate Pool Party at the Ivy Pool Club in

on 6 December 2014.

Track listing

*Digital download #"Can I Get a Moment?" – 3:25 *Digital download #"Can I Get a Moment?" (Acoustic version) – 3:20 *CD #"Can I Get a Moment?" – 3:25 #" Never Be the Same" (Acoustic remix) – 3:51

Credits and personnel

;Locations *Recorded at Brandon's Way Recording Studios in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. *Mastered at Studios 301 in

. ;Personnel *

Songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

– Antonio Dixon, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, Carmen Reece,

Leon Thomas III Leon George Thomas III (born August 1, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He began his career as a child actor on Broadway theatre, Broadway, appearing in the musicals The Lion King (musical), ''The Lion King'', ...

, Helen Jane Culver * Production – Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio Dixon, The Rascals *

Recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

and

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

– Paul Boutin * Horns – Randy Ellis, Miguel Costa, Garrett Smith, Raymond Monteiro *Additional engineering – Adrian Breakspear * Mastering – Leon Zervos Sources:

Charts

Weekly chart

Year-end chart

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2014 songs 2014 singles Jessica Mauboy songs Sony Music Australia singles Songs written by Carmen Reece Songs written by Leon Thomas III Songs written by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Khristopher Riddick-Tynes Songs written by Antonio Dixon (songwriter) Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Song recordings produced by the Rascals (producers)