Musiq Soulchild was born and raised in Philadelphia and grew up with his family--including eight brothers and sister]. As a teenager, he began plans for a career in music. He released his debut album, ''Aijuswanaseing'' (read: "I Just Want to Sing"), in 2000, which was well-received by critics and audiences. Musiq did much of his own songwriting, and most of the record was produced and co-written by Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, then of the A Touch of Jazz production company headed by Jazzy Jeff, now of Karma Productions. The singles "Just Friends (Sunny)", "Love", and "Girl Next Door" received exposure in America mainly on the more underground music video network, MTV2, as well as on BET. His singles also received a good amount of airplay on urban and urban contemporary radio stations.
In 2002, he released his sophomore album, ''Juslisen'' (read: "Just Listen"), as simply ''Musiq''. He had continued urban and MTV2 success with its singles, "halfcrazy" and "dontchange", the former of which was one of the most played music videos on MTV2 in the summer of 2002 and during the year overall. Both videos also got substantial play during the year on VH1 Soul. The singles had heavily amounts of airplay on both urban and urban contemporary radio sations in 2002. He also gained exposure during that year by opening concerts for Alicia Keys.
In late 2002, Musiq contributed guest vocals to "Break You Off", the first single from The Roots' ''Phrenology'' album. Once again, its video got heavy play on MTV2 and VH1 Soul, as well as on MTV Jams. He also appeared in Santana's song "Nothing at All" which is featured in his 2002 album ''Shaman''.
In 2003, the singles and videos "forthenight" and "whoknows" from his third LP, ''Soulstar''. "forthenight" was one of VH1 Soul's most played videos of 2004, and also had a very successful run on American urban radio stations.
Recently, Musiq Soulchild (who has added the "Soulchild" to his moniker again) has parted ways with Def Soul and has signed with Atlantic Records. A new Musiq Soulchild album is slated for a spring 2007 release. He will be making guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's ''Rotten Apple'', Talib Kweli "Eardrum", Black Ice "The Death of Willie Lynch", pay tribute to Soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire and appear on the soundtrack "Daddy's Little Girls".
Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing), in 2000, which included the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop single, "Just Friends (Sunny)". Musiq's second single, "Love", spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Musiq’s sophomore album, 2002's Juslisen (Just Listen), debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts and went platinum; "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange". In 2003, Musiq released his 3rd album, Soulstar. It included the singles "Forthenight" and "Whoknows".
After a four year break and changing his management to Solqi Management and his record label to Atlantic Records, in 2007, Musiq's released his fourth album Luvanmusiq (Love and Music) which included the singles "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Teachme", and "Makeyouhappy". His fifth album OnMyRadio was released on December 2, 2008. The lead single, "Radio" has posted on both Musiq's MySpace page and official website.
Musiq Soulchild has had 2 platinum albums, 2 gold albums and 7 hit singles. He has received awards from Billboard, BET, ASCAP, BMI, and Soul Train. Musiq has also earned award nominations from MTV, American Music Awards, NAACP, and 9 Grammy nominations, including 3 for his 2007 album Luvanmusiq. Besides being a successful recording artist, Musiq is notable for his creative and unique way of titling his albums and songs by ignoring the rules of capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
He recently performed at the Antigua & Barbuda first Romantic Rhythms Music Festival in the Caribbean which was held from June 12-15,2008 which features legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie, Keyshia Cole, Maxi Priest, Destra, Heather Headly, Shaggy and many other local artist from the island including The Burning Flames.
He has also made guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's album Rotten Apple, Talib Kweli's Eardrum, The Roots's Phrenology (album), Black Ice's The Death of Willie Lynch and pays tribute to soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire, appearing on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's movie Daddy's Little Girls. And Ice Cube announced that Musiq will appear on his upcoming album, Raw Footage. He also lent a song from his latest album Luvanmusiq to the soundtrack for Perry's later movie Why Did I Get Married?. He then recorded a remake of Arrested Development's song "People Everyday" with British rapper Estelle for the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns entitled "People Everyday (Metamorphosis Mix)".
Outside of music, he has been featured in television and print ads for McDonald's, Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap. He also made a special appearance in The CW's #1 comedy The Game on Monday, October 29, 2007.
Dear John
Musiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never thought I'd see the day I'd be living without you
Now I cant even look you in the eyes
Cause I know what it does when I see you cry
And that's not what I wanna do
So hear is my Dear John
Don't waste your time
Before I change my mind
I'll just stop now and say goodbye
I realize all the promises I've made
To you through the years
And all the times you forgave me
Even when I caused you tears
But I just cant do it cant hurt you again
You might say that I'm less than a man
But this is what I need to do
[Chorus]
So here is my dear John
Don't waste your time
When you respond
Ill be long gone
Before I change my mind
Ill just stop now and say goodbye
[Bridge]
I know your probably reading this
Saying this ain't happening
Maybe one day we can start all over
We can try again
But right now I just gotta go
Not coming back until I'm sure
That I ain't gonna hurt you no more
Oh oh oh
[Chorus]
I'll just stop now and say goodbye girl
I'll just stop now and say good bye
Yeah Yeah Yeah
I'll just stop now and say goodbye
Yeah Yeah Yeah
The song "Dear John" by Musiq Soulchild is a heartbreaking ballad about a man who is struggling to leave his relationship because he loves his partner, but he knows that he is doing more harm than good. The opening lines, "This just might be the hardest thing I ever have to do I never thought I'd see the day I'd be living without you," set the tone of the song. The singer is aware of the pain his decision will cause to his significant other, and it pains him to leave, but he knows he must for the health of both parties.
Throughout the verses, the singer acknowledges the promises he has made and the times his partner has forgiven him, even when he caused her tears. But now, he feels that he cannot continue in the relationship and hurt her again. The chorus is a letter to his partner, where he is telling her that he is leaving and does not want her to waste her time trying to change his mind. In the bridge, he recognizes that his partner may be reading it and hoping that they can start over one day, but he is unsure of his future and knows that he must leave to ensure that he does not hurt her again.
The song is a powerful piece of art that captures the pain of a difficult decision in a relationship. It is an insightful look at the potential harm of staying in a relationship when you know it is not right for you or your partner. The melody and lyrics come together to create an emotional experience that will resonate with anyone who has gone through a similar experience.
Line by Line Meaning
This just might be the hardest thing I ever have to do
Breaking up and leaving you could be the most difficult task in my life.
I never thought I'd see the day I'd be living without you
I never imagined living without you, but now it's inevitable.
Now I cant even look you in the eyes
I can't face you or look at you directly anymore.
Cause I know what it does when I see you cry
Seeing you cry affects me greatly, and I can't handle it.
And that's not what I wanna do
I don't intend to hurt you anymore with my actions.
So hear is my Dear John
This is my formal breakup message to you.
Don't waste your time
Please don't bother trying to change my mind.
When you respond ill be gone
By the time you get a chance to respond, I'll have already left.
Before I change my mind
I don't want to be talked into staying, so I'll be gone before that can happen.
I'll just stop now and say goodbye
I'm ending things right now and saying my farewell.
I realize all the promises I've made
I understand all the commitments I've made to you.
To you through the years
All the promises were made during the time we spent together.
And all the times you forgave me
You were always forgiving and understanding, even when I was wrong.
Even when I caused you tears
I now look back and see how much damage I've done to you and your emotions.
But I just cant do it cant hurt you again
I don't have the strength to hurt you again, intentionally or unintentionally.
You might say that I'm less than a man
You might criticize me and say that leaving you makes me less of a man.
But this is what I need to do
Despite what others may think or say, I believe this is the best choice for me right now.
[Chorus]
Refrain repeats the same sentiments.
I know your probably reading this
I assume you are reading this message I'm sending to you.
Saying this ain't happening
You might be in disbelief and think this is all a mistake.
Maybe one day we can start all over
Perhaps in the future, we can give our relationship another chance.
We can try again
We can revisit our past relationship and see if there's still hope.
But right now I just gotta go
For now, I need to leave and have some time alone.
Not coming back until I'm sure
I won't be returning until I'm confident that I won't hurt you again.
That I ain't gonna hurt you no more
I want to make sure I never cause you pain again.
I'll just stop now and say goodbye girl
This is my final farewell to you, my love.
Yeah Yeah Yeah
Refrain repeats the same sentiments.
I'll just stop now and say goodbye
This is my final goodbye to you.
Yeah Yeah Yeah
Refrain repeats the same sentiments.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TAALIB JOHNSON, ERIC D. DAWKINS, WARRYN S. CAMPBELL, ANTONIO LAMAR DIXON, BRYAN JAMES SLEDGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind