"Losing You" is a song recorded by American recording artist Solange Knowles. It was written and produced by Dev Hynes and Knowles, with the former under his pseudonym Blood Orange. Serving as the lead single from her EP True, the song was first released for download on October 2, 2012 via Terrible Records, a label co-run by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor.
"Losing You" is a R&B, dance-pop and indie pop song with influences of electronic music. The song received universal acclaim from music critics. The single's accompanying music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas and shot at multiple locations in the township of Langa in Cape Town, South Africa. Following the release, "Losing You" reached the top ten of the single charts in Denmark and Flanders, and peaked at number 22 on the UK Indie Chart.
Background and release
In 2008, Knowles signed a record deal with Geffen and a publishing contract with EMI. The same year she finished working on her second studio album in 2008 and titled the project Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. A collection of 1960s- and 1970s-influenced songs, it was considered as a departure from her pop-oriented debut upon its release in August 2008. By December 2008, the album had sold over 114,000 copies according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album was positively received by critics, some of whom considered it far better than her debut. In support of the album, Knowles began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008. The song "T.O.N.Y." was the third and final single to get lifted from the album in April 2009.
In October of the same year, Knowles announced on her Twitter account, that she had parted ways with Interscope Geffen A&M after releasing just one album on the label, and further revealed that she had chosen to go an independent route with her next album, stating that "although it's been a wonderful journey and experience at Interscope Records, after truly recognizing what's important to ME as an artist, I decided it was time for me to continue my path on a more independent platform [...] I'm excited about continuing to dive in, experiment and creating music and art with no boundaries, fears or expectations. Gonna be fun folks." Knowles also confirmed that she had been experimenting with a moody, electronic sound for her next project. She confirmed that "Losing You" would be the first single in an interview with the South African Sunday Times on September 2, 2012. Knowles described the song "eclectic with '80s references and African percussion influences." The track premiered along with the video on October 1, 2012. The single was released to iTunes a day later.
Critical response
The song has received acclaim by critics. Luke O'Neil of The Boston Globe called it "’80s dance-pop-heartbreak in the early Janet Jackson mold." Philip Sherburne of Spin magazine called "Losing You" a "remarkable song in its own right, with a breezy fusion of singer-centric R&B, 1980s pop, and lanky, mid-tempo hip house beats." He felt the song was breakaway from the "R&B-gone-electronic dance music tracks" and commented that it was also "remarkable for what it suggests about the direction of pop music right now; it feels like one of those moments when something lurking just below the surface of the zeitgeist breaks through in a big way." He further noted that "there's plenty of mediocrity in the wannabe-Balearic house scene too, but in the hands of Solange and Hynes, it feels like a breath of fresh air." Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times described "Losing You" as "a sticky mid-tempo dance-R&B cut that pushes her further away from unfair comparisons." He commented that the song was "not the overwrought dance-R&B that’s flooded radio for the past couple of years. Knowles and Hynes crafted the sort of snappy, relaxed groove that sounds as if it had been unearthed from a dusty '80s jukebox. The single is retro without reverting to the Motown influences of her last record."
Accolades
Pitchfork named "Losing You" the 16th best song of 2012, while Digital Spy named the song the seventh. It was also voted the seventh best single of 2012 by The Village Voices 40th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Spin listed the song on their "40 Best Songs of 2012" ranking, and wrote: "The exquisitely triumphant melancholy of a permanent weirdo-R&B underdog finally finding her lane (Manhattan opulence crossed with Brooklyn ennui), finally feeling that reassuring pavement beneath her, gunning it to 120 MPH, turning chilling emotional isolation into a raging Bushwick house party." The Huffington Post named "Losing You" one of the 15 best songs of the year.