My Own Way (album)
Encyclopedia
My Own Way is the second studio album
by British Contemporary R&B
singer Jay Sean, released May 12, 2008 on Jayded Records and 2Point9 Records
. Recording sessions took place from 2006 to 2009. Production was handled by Jay Sean and several other recording producers, including Jared Cotter
, J remy, and DJ Swivel, including others. The album peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart
. It produced three singles and the deluxe edition had one more single. Upon its release, My Own Way has received mixed reviews from critics.
," but the song ended up being given to Corbin Bleu
. However, Sean's background vocals remain on Bleu's version of the track. The song "Deal With It" earned Sean a BMI Songwriter Award
and later inspired the 2009 single "Juliette
" by South Korea
n band Shinee
.
The album was renamed My Own Way and was originally slated for a 3 December 2007 release. However due to a majority of the tracks being leaked it was pushed back numerous times to 31 March 2008 and again to 28 April 2008. Eventually it was released on 12 May 2008.
Speaking in March 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul
- Jay explained the thinking behind the album's title: "It's pretty much self-explanatory really. This whole entire project has been like my little baby - in terms of me nurturing it, making it, watching it grow, and having really hands-on creative control. You know, 'I wannt work with THIS person... I want to write a song like THIS... I want this to be the single... I want these video directors'... And everyone around me in my team has been amazing and has just trusted me to call the shots."
The album features production by J remy, Jose E Duran, Robert Larow, Bobby Bass and Alan Sampson. It was recorded in New York and London and mixed by "Supa Engineer Duro" with Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young in New York City. Jared Cotter co-wrote six songs on the album.
Deluxe Edition
and #1 on the UK R&B Chart
. A Hindi
version of the album was also released in India
. The album sold 300,000 copies in the UK and more than 350,000 copies worldwide. It has been certified platinum in the United Kingdom.
noted, "From one angle Ride It – Jay Sean's comeback single from last year – saw the Hounslow-born artist in exactly the same place as he was when he broke through in 2003 with Dance With You
: Talking about cruising the clubs and making eyes at the ladies." DesiHits
stated that it is "the biggest album to hit the Urban Desi
scene of late and just listening to the album stripping away all the hype all the glamour it’s plain to see Jay’s created an album that you can sit back, relax and enjoy."
Angus Batey of The Guardian
stated, "My Own Way is a decent record, but erroneously titled...He has lost - not for ever, one hopes - the stuff that made him stand out", in comparison to his experimental
debut album Me Against Myself
(2004). Sean later responded that the reason he gave up on the Indian-R&B fusion music that he helped popularize is because it had eventually become too common in Asian Underground
and Indian pop
music.
" which was released on 26 January 2009. The album also has 2 additional songs, "Never Been In Love" and "I'm Gone", and 4 additional remixes.
Tracklisting
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by British Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Jay Sean, released May 12, 2008 on Jayded Records and 2Point9 Records
2Point9 Records
2Point9 Records is an independent record label, a subsidiary of an all-in-one entertainment company called 2Point9, that was started in 2003 when Telstar Records A&R manager Billy Grant and Promotions manager Rob Stuart decided to leave the company to set up their own little independent...
. Recording sessions took place from 2006 to 2009. Production was handled by Jay Sean and several other recording producers, including Jared Cotter
Jared Cotter
Jared Lincoln Cotter is an American pop/R&B singer, songwriter and model. He has hosted a number of TV shows, and he co-wrote the number 1 song "Down" by Jay Sean.-Biography:...
, J remy, and DJ Swivel, including others. The album peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. It produced three singles and the deluxe edition had one more single. Upon its release, My Own Way has received mixed reviews from critics.
Background
The album was initially named after the title track "Deal With ItAnother Side (Corbin Bleu album)
- Songs :The song "Deal with It" was originally written and sung by Jay Sean, who originally intended it to be the title single of his second album My Own Way . He later gave it to Corbin Bleu, whose version of the song features background vocals by Jay Sean...
," but the song ended up being given to Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu
Corbin Bleu Reivers , known professionally as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, producer, and singer-songwriter. He performed in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids drama series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!...
. However, Sean's background vocals remain on Bleu's version of the track. The song "Deal With It" earned Sean a BMI Songwriter Award
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
and later inspired the 2009 single "Juliette
Shinee discography
This is the discography of the South Korean boy band Shinee. The band have been in the music business ever since debuting in the mid-2008. They have currently released two full-length albums, three mini-albums and two repackaged albums...
" by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n band Shinee
SHINee
Shinee is a contemporary R&B South Korean boy band. Formed by SM Entertainment in 2008, they made their debut on May 25, 2008 on SBS's Inkigayo with their promotional single, "Noona Neomu Yeppeo "...
.
The album was renamed My Own Way and was originally slated for a 3 December 2007 release. However due to a majority of the tracks being leaked it was pushed back numerous times to 31 March 2008 and again to 28 April 2008. Eventually it was released on 12 May 2008.
Speaking in March 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....
- Jay explained the thinking behind the album's title: "It's pretty much self-explanatory really. This whole entire project has been like my little baby - in terms of me nurturing it, making it, watching it grow, and having really hands-on creative control. You know, 'I wannt work with THIS person... I want to write a song like THIS... I want this to be the single... I want these video directors'... And everyone around me in my team has been amazing and has just trusted me to call the shots."
The album features production by J remy, Jose E Duran, Robert Larow, Bobby Bass and Alan Sampson. It was recorded in New York and London and mixed by "Supa Engineer Duro" with Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young in New York City. Jared Cotter co-wrote six songs on the album.
Singles
- The first single from the album, "Ride ItRide It (Jay Sean song)"Ride It" is the first single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way. It was written by Jay Sean himself and Alan Sampson. It was released on 21 January 2008. The song reached the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #11...
", released on 21 January 2008 and debuted on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #11. It was successful in Eastern EuropeEastern EuropeEastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, especially in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, where it became one of the three best-selling singles of the yearEnd-Year Chart 2008 (Romania)This is a list of Romanian Top 100's 2008 year-end chart....
. Sean sung a HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
version of the song for the Indian release of My Own Way. - "MaybeMaybe (Jay Sean song)"Maybe" is the second single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way. It was originally scheduled to be released on 7 April 2008 but was postponed...
", the album's second single, released on 21 April 2008 and debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #19. It was also successful in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where it reached #7 on the Japan Hot 100 Singles. A Hindi version sung by Sean was released as part of My Own Way in India. A Mandarin Chinese cover version by Coco LeeCoCo LeeCoco Lee , born on 17 January 1975, also known by her official English name as Ferren Lee, is a pop singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. Coco started her career in Hong Kong but, after becoming popular in Taiwan, she was widely considered to be a Taiwan artist. She was born to a Chinese...
has also been released in China. - The album's third single, "StayStay (Jay Sean song)"Stay" is the third single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way. It was released on 7 July 2008 and became his lowest charting official UK single to date, peaking at #59.-History:The video was shot alongside the "Maybe" video....
", was released on July 7 but failed to enter the UK Top 40. Sean also sung a Hindi version of the song for the Indian release of My Own Way.
Deluxe Edition
- "TonightTonight (Jay Sean song)"Tonight" is a single by British R&B artist Jay Sean. The single was released on 18 January 2009 and 26 January 2009 , but the music video for the single was released much earlier, on 17 November 2008...
", was the first single off the re-pack of My Own Way it was released on 26 January 2009.
Commercial performance
The album was moderately successful in the UK, reaching #6 on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and #1 on the UK R&B Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
. A Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
version of the album was also released in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The album sold 300,000 copies in the UK and more than 350,000 copies worldwide. It has been certified platinum in the United Kingdom.
Critical response
The album received mixed reviews from critics. Paul Clarke of BBC MusicBBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
noted, "From one angle Ride It – Jay Sean's comeback single from last year – saw the Hounslow-born artist in exactly the same place as he was when he broke through in 2003 with Dance With You
Dance with You (Nachna Tere Naal)
"Dance with You ", released on 8 September 2003, is the debut single by the Rishi Rich Project, consisting of Jay Sean, Juggy D and Rishi Rich. It was an Asian Underground song, which was Sean's debut single and was produced by Rich. The lyrics are in both English and Punjabi, with Sean singing the...
: Talking about cruising the clubs and making eyes at the ladies." DesiHits
DesiHits
-Background:DesiHits! is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquartered in New York...
stated that it is "the biggest album to hit the Urban Desi
Desi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...
scene of late and just listening to the album stripping away all the hype all the glamour it’s plain to see Jay’s created an album that you can sit back, relax and enjoy."
Angus Batey of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
stated, "My Own Way is a decent record, but erroneously titled...He has lost - not for ever, one hopes - the stuff that made him stand out", in comparison to his experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
debut album Me Against Myself
Me Against Myself
Me Against Myself was universally acclaimed by critics across the world, particularly for its experimental, creative fusion of contemporary R&B, hip hop music and Indian music , as well as its social commentary...
(2004). Sean later responded that the reason he gave up on the Indian-R&B fusion music that he helped popularize is because it had eventually become too common in Asian Underground
Asian Underground
Asian Underground is a term associated with various British Asian musicians who blend elements of western underground dance music and the traditional Asian music of their home countries in South Asia...
and Indian pop
Indian pop
Indian pop music , often known as Indian-Pop, Hindi Pop, Indipop or Indi-pop, refers to pop music in India. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966...
music.
Track listing
My Own Way: Deluxe Edition
On 21 December 2008 at the Mobo Awards Jay Sean confirmed backstage that the "Deluxe Edition" of 'My Own Way' will be released around February 2009. The "Deluxe Edition" was released on 16 February 2009 in the UK was set for release in the U.S. under Cash Money Records, but the album was canceled for U.S. and Jay Sean began to work on a new album for the American market. The lead single is "TonightTonight (Jay Sean song)
"Tonight" is a single by British R&B artist Jay Sean. The single was released on 18 January 2009 and 26 January 2009 , but the music video for the single was released much earlier, on 17 November 2008...
" which was released on 26 January 2009. The album also has 2 additional songs, "Never Been In Love" and "I'm Gone", and 4 additional remixes.
Tracklisting
- "Ride ItRide It (Jay Sean song)"Ride It" is the first single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way. It was written by Jay Sean himself and Alan Sampson. It was released on 21 January 2008. The song reached the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #11...
" — 3:10 - "TonightTonight (Jay Sean song)"Tonight" is a single by British R&B artist Jay Sean. The single was released on 18 January 2009 and 26 January 2009 , but the music video for the single was released much earlier, on 17 November 2008...
" — 3:42 - "MaybeMaybe (Jay Sean song)"Maybe" is the second single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way. It was originally scheduled to be released on 7 April 2008 but was postponed...
" — 3:22 - "I Wont Tell" (Remix feat. SwaySway DaSafoDerek Andrew Safo is a Ghanaian British musician who uses the stage names Sway DaSafo or Sway. He is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik record label and he is also a producer, establishing DCypha Productions.-Childhood:...
) — 3:38 - "StayStay (Jay Sean song)"Stay" is the third single from Jay Sean's second album My Own Way. It was released on 7 July 2008 and became his lowest charting official UK single to date, peaking at #59.-History:The video was shot alongside the "Maybe" video....
" — 3:40 - "Stuck In The Middle" (feat. Jared CotterJared CotterJared Lincoln Cotter is an American pop/R&B singer, songwriter and model. He has hosted a number of TV shows, and he co-wrote the number 1 song "Down" by Jay Sean.-Biography:...
) — 3:38 - "All Or Nothing" — 4:08
- "Never Been In Love" — 3:28
- "Cry" — 4:35
- "Good Enough" — 4:03
- "Used To Love Her" — 3:48
- "Waiting" — 4:06
- "Runaway" — 3:49
- "Just A Friend" — 3:40
- "Murder" — (feat. TharaThara Prashad- External links :* - South Asian Life style* MoraFire - July/August 2007* about.com...
) 3:58 - "Easy As 1, 2, 3" — 3:21
- "I'm Gone" — 3:16
- "Ride It" (Ishi Hip Hop Remix) — 3:23
- "Maybe" (Panjabi Hit SquadPanjabi Hit SquadPanjabi Hit Squad are a group of Asian artists signed to the UK imprint of Hip-Hop giant, Def Jam. The members all grew up in Southall, UK. As well as working with various high-profile acts such as Mariah Carey, Ashanti, and Sway, they also work with community projects such as youth project BBC...
Remix) — 3:14 - "Stay" (Boy Better KnowBoy Better Know-History:The band and label were established by Jamie Adenuga "Boy Better Know" is a registered trademark, clothing line and Boy Better Know sim cards....
Remix feat. Chipmunk, Skepta, Frisco & Jammer) — 3:37 - "Tonight" (FP Radio Edit) — 3:25
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
6 |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
1 |
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
May 12, 2008 February 16, 2009 (Deluxe) |
| India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... |
August 18, 2008 |
| Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
August 22, 2008 |