"WE (Warm Embrace)", also known by the simplified title "Warm Embrace", is a song by American singer and songwriter

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 ...

, released 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 ...

as the second single from his tenth studio album, ''

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'', on April 1, 2022. Brown co-wrote the song with Ellery McKinney and Wilbart McCoy III and contains an interpolation of

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's 1991 single " Let's Chill". The song garnered positive reviews from critics, that praised the singer's vocal performance and the track's content. "Warm Embrace" debuted and peaked at numbers 22 and 79 on both the ''Billboard''

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

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charts respectively, and was certified Gold by the

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(RIAA). An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Arrad and features American singer

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Background

In November 2020, Brown created an

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account, where he previewed snippets of two songs, titled "Sleep at Night" and "Warm Embarce", off his then-upcoming ''Breezy'' album. Following the release of " Iffy", in March 2022 he announced that "Warm Embrace" would be the second single from ''Breezy'', announcing its release date for April 1, alongside teasing a joint tour for Summer 2022 with a mystery co-headliner. On March 15, 2022, Brown shared a snippet of the song on his Instagram account with the caption "Is this the BREEZY you've been waiting for?". The song was released on April 1, 2022, as the second single from his tenth studio album, ''

''.

Composition

"Warm Embrace" is an R&B slow-jam, that contains an

interpolation In the mathematics, mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one ...

's 1991 single " Let's Chill". According to ''

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'' the "romantic" content of the song "eases away from his recent trajectory of hyper-sexual music" being part of the

crooner A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...

's "soft side". Brown starts the song's second verse by singing: "Take my chance and dive into your ocean, yeah / Tried my best to give you all that you want / Girl, before you leave, let me love every part of your anatomy / And I want you to pour your pain on me". Keithan Samuels of ''Rated R&B'' commented "Warm Embrace"'s lyrical content saying that it "shows the tender side of Brown as he aims to sexually please his stressed-out partner the best way he can".

Critical reception

"WE (Warm Embrace)" received critical acclaim. ''

s reviewer Mya Abraham praised the track as "endearing", and stated its sound is reminiscent of ’80s R&B. Keithan Samuels of ''Rated R&B'' found the song to be "sweet-sounding". ''

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'' called it a "sensual slow jam", and complimented its "clever interpolation". The song was listed among the top 5 best R&B songs of 2022 by ''Vibe'': " Warm Embrace"will go down in history as one of Chris Brown’s most timeless songs".

Commercial performance

On the week of July 9, 2022, "WE (Warm Embrace)" debuted and peaked at numbers 22 and 79 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively.

Music video

The song's accompanying music video was released on June 21, 2022, and features a cameo by American singer

. Additionally, it was directed by Arrad. The video was nominated for "Video of the Year" at

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, and for "Best Dance Performance" at 2022 Soul Train Music Awards.

Synopsis

The video starts with Brown falling into a dark-turned-multicolor abyss as a sneak peek of his track "Sleep at Night" soundtracks his dreamy descent. Brown abruptly wakes up, finding his girl, interpreted by American singer

, wearing a silk bustier slip dress that sweeps the floor she and Brown waltz on. The two slip out of their titular warm embrace and have an underwater kiss as he croons, “Take my chance and dive into your ocean”. The video continues alternating visuals of Brown performing the song with a band on a seafront, his shadow dancing in a yellow-neon-lighted scenario, the crooner singing the song in a room full of kaleidoscopical mirrors, and the two lovers expressing their mutual sentiment on the frontseat of a vintage

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until a mysterious light makes them float into a

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Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2022 singles 2022 songs Chris Brown songs Hip-hop soul songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Bernard Belle Songs written by Chris Brown Songs written by Keith Sweat Songs written by Teddy Riley