"Solo" is a song by

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

singer

Iyaz Keidran Kenmore Jones (born 15 April 1987), better known by his stage name Iyaz (pronounced ), is a British Virgin Islands singer and songwriter, formerly signed with the record label Warner Music Group. He is known for his singles " Replay", " ...

, released by

Beluga Heights Records Beluga Heights Records is an American record label established by record producer J. R. Rotem. The label is known for discovering and developing Sean Kingston, Iyaz, Mann, and Jason Derulo. In September 2020, Beluga Heights was acquired by Cinq M ...

on 8 June 2010 as the second single from his debut studio album, '' Replay'' (2010). It was produced by

J. R. Rotem Jonathan Reuven Rotem (born July 23, 1975) is a South African-born American record producer, songwriter and music publisher. Biography Early life Rotem was born in July 23, 1975 in Johannesburg, South Africa to Jewish Israeli people, Israe ...

, who co-wrote the song alongside Iyaz,

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Since the start of his solo recording career in 2009, he has sold over 250 m ...

, and

August Rigo Dan August Rigo (born August 6, 1986) is a Filipino-Canadian recording artist, songwriter, producer and musician. August Rigo is signed to a publishing contract with Sony/ATV as a songwriter. Early life Rigo was born on August 6, 1986, in Toront ...

. It was released for digital download on 9 February 2010, became available for

mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ...

radio on 8 February 2010, and was released in the UK on 23 May 2010. The song samples

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

's 1993 single " Again"; its co-writers (Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis) each share writing credits.

Critical reception

Leah Greenblatt of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave a review noting that the song contains samples of Janet Jackson's song " Again". Robert Copsey of ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

'' gave the song a positive review stating:

Following up his No.1 debut 'Replay', newcomer Keidran 'Iyaz' Jones launches a second assault on the charts with 'Solo'. However, this time his problems go deeper than a dodgy iPod – the Caribbean crooner's been ditched by his missus for reasons completely unknown to him. This, we presume, is almost as annoying as trying to work out where the niggling sample on the chorus comes from. Of course, we didn't use Google to discover that it's actually the melody from Janet Jackson's 'Again' to which Iyaz laments: "I don't want to walk this earth if I gotta do it solo." J R Rotem is once again on production duties, and his trademark triple siren effect is sure to keep you awake on what is otherwise a thoroughly inoffensive – if perfectly pleasant – slice of summer reggae-pop. The hook may not be as infectious as 'Replay', but at the end of the day, who are we to turn down a bit of Janet?.

Music video

The music video was released to

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on 7 April 2010, and has over 30 million views 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 ...

. The official music video for "Solo" was shot in

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

(Iyaz's hometown). Directed by Kai Crawford, it shows him walking around the neighborhoods of Tortola longing to find his lover. He is seen performing the song on cliffs overlooking the ocean, in a town, and on a beach, all looking very lonely and depressed. Black-and-white scenes also feature him and his girl recording the song in a studio. Every time he sees her, she disappears from his memory. Other scenes feature the pair as kids playing basketball together (a spot he eventually reaches and throws the ball alone in disbelief, missing his shot). He eventually finds her on a rock at a beach, and she accepts him back. It ends with the pair walking down the beach together again.

Formats and track listings

;Australian digital download # "Solo" – 3:14 ;UK digital EP https://archive.today/20120723043626/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003M0QRBQ # "Solo" (Album Version) – 3:14 # "Solo" (Instrumental Version) – 3:14 # "Solo" (A Cappella Version) – 3:14 # "Solo" (Cahill Radio Mix) – 3:34 # "Solo" ( Dave Audé Radio Mix) – 3:59

Other versions

*"Solo" (Single version) – 3:25 *"Solo" ( Cahill Mixshow) – 5:08 *"Solo" (Dave Aude Club Mix) – 9:05

Chart performance

On 18 February 2010, "Solo" debuted at #43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Chart. After its debut it fell to #72, but rebounded to #32. This is Iyaz's second Top 40 hit, following the success of previous single " Replay". On 30 May 2010, "Solo" entered both the UK Singles Chart and the

UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

at number 3, marking Iyaz's second consecutive top three single on both charts. In it second week on the chart, "Solo" fell to number 10, marking its second week within the Top 10. On 13 June 2010, the single fell 10 places to number 20. The single also debuted on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

on 28 May 2010 at number 26, before falling to number 38 on its second week in the chart. On 11 June 2010, the single climbed 6 places to number 32.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

External links

IYAZ – "Solo" music video
{{Authority control 2009 songs 2010 singles Iyaz songs Song recordings produced by J. R. Rotem Songs written by J. R. Rotem Songs written by August Rigo Songs written by Jason Derulo Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Songs written by Janet Jackson