"Undecided" is a song by American singer
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
. It was released as a single on January 4, 2019, by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
.
The song serves 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 Brown's ninth studio album ''
Indigo
InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...
''.
The song was written by Chris Brown,
Felicia Ferraro and
Antonio Stith, while its production was handled by
Scott Storch and
Avedon. "Undecided" is a
midtempo
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 and
pop song, with lyrics about Brown reflecting on his hesitation to fully commit to a woman.
The single was certified Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) and gold by the
British Phonographic Industry
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) and
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to some of Canada's leadin ...
(MC). The music video for "Undecided" was released alongside the song. It was filmed at
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monic ...
and stars Brown and American actress
Serayah.
Background and composition
According to Brown's mixing engineer Patrizio Pigliapoco, "Undecided" was recorded in August 2018, right after the end of the "
Heartbreak on a Full Moon Tour", at Brown's home studio, being the first song composed for the ''Indigo'' album following the creation of its concept. The song was written by
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
,
Antonio Stith and
Felicia Ferraro, and was produced by
Scott Storch, that previously worked with Brown for his singles "
Run It!
"Run It!" is the debut single by American singer Chris Brown featuring American rapper Juelz Santana. It was produced by Scott Storch, who wrote the song alongside Sean Garrett and Santana. The song appeared on Brown's self-titled debut albu ...
" (2005) and "
Gimme That" (2006), as well as for his albums ''
Exclusive'' (2007) and ''
Heartbreak on a Full Moon
''Heartbreak on a Full Moon'' is the eighth studio album by American singer Chris Brown. The album is a double-disc, consisting of 45 tracks, and was released digitally on Halloween 2017, and onto CD three days later by RCA Records. Brown worked ...
'' (2017).
"Undecided" is a "melodic"
midtempo
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 and
pop song, with a "mellow, tropical-leaning" instrumental.
The song runs for three minutes and eight seconds, containing a
sample of American
R&B singer
Shanice
Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and dancer. She had the ''Billboard'' hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for ...
's 1991 single "
I Love Your Smile".
''ThisisRnB'' described it as a "sweet-sounding" song with
romantic content. Lyrically, "Undecided" is about Brown reflecting on his hesitation to fully commit to a woman, realizing that he loves her too much to not do so.
Critical reception
''
Vibe
Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing.
Vibe may also refer to:
People
* DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ
* Lasse Vibe (b ...
'' praised "Undecided" and ranked it seventh best R&B song of 2019. ''
HotNewHipHop
''HotNewHipHop'' (HNHH) is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and Sneaker collecting, sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video seri ...
'' defined it "a love song that shows off all of the notes Brown is famous for hitting".
Music video
On January 4, 2019, Brown uploaded the music video for "Undecided" on his YouTube account.
The music video was directed by Chris Brown and Arrad, and features
Serayah as Brown's love interest.
Synopsis
The video opens with Brown trespassing onto the
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large pier at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California, United States. It contains a small amusement park, concession stands, and areas for views and fishing. The pier is part of the greater Santa Monic ...
at night. He sees a girl, played by Serayah, through a magic portal opened with the thread of a blue balloon. Brown enters the portal and a magical dream sequence unfolds, with the couple riding the roller coaster, playing carnival games, and dancing under an indigo starry sky, decorated with a giant full moon, as the ocean’s waves crash on the shore, before ending the magical dream sequence with a kiss. The video ends with Brown suddenly returning to reality, running away from the magic balloon.
Reception
''
Rap-Up
''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...
'' praised the video for being "dance-heavy" and "cinematic".
''
HypeBeast'' stated that in the video "the two showcase their dance moves alongside their respective crews throughout a bright and lively carnival".
''Urban Islandz'' commented that "the fun-filled music video comes with the exact creative energy that Chris Brown is known for".
Commercial performance
"Undecided" debuted at number 35 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, serving as the singer's 91st entry on the chart.
With the song, Chris Brown tied
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
's eighth most Hot 100 entries of all-time.
"Undecided" marked his first Hot 100 entry since "
Freaky Friday" with
Lil Dicky
David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper, singer, comedian, and actor. He first received recognition after the music video for his 2013 song, "Ex-Boyfriend" became a viral video, v ...
in April 2018, which peaked at number eight.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Chris Brown singles
2019 singles
Chris Brown songs
Song recordings produced by Scott Storch
Songs written by Chris Brown
2019 songs
Songs written by Scott Storch
Songs written by Narada Michael Walden
Songs written by Avedon (record producer)