Bio
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”. According to the singer himself, via his September 18 concert at the Warfield in San Francisco, his fifth album On My Radio will be 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.
Single
Musiq Soulchild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smelled the breakfast in the air
Hopped in the shower
Would have got dressed but I undressed my girl instead
We did some things
Got some food and now I'm on my way to work
Got into my car started up drove off now I'm on the road that's when
I pulled up to this gas station and got into this conversation
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
She cracked a smile and she said she understood
And I sympathize cause every man she had was never any good
It's so amazing how much you could learn in just a bit of time
Like how I see me and her in my mind
That's why I need to pull out of this gas station
Cause after this conversation with you girl
I might just do something I don't wanna do because
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
And I know it's such a shame
You can't even entertain the things you feel
Don't feel bad cause I feel the same
It would just be wasted time
Tryna' find if life's greener on the other side
Ooh
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
I just gotta go, go
Said I gotta go
It's nice to meet you but I
Ooh but I just gotta go
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
In "Single," Musiq Soulchild shares a story about a man who wakes up next to his girlfriend but sneaks away to work, only to end up in a conversation at a gas station with a woman who is clearly attracted to him. The man admits that if he had met this woman when he was single, they might have had something more, but he found his girlfriend and knows that he loves her, so he has to leave. Musiq's smooth voice and the soulful beat create a comforting and laid-back atmosphere for the listener. The lyrics remind us of the importance of commitment and staying true to one's feelings and decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this morning
I began my day
Smelled the breakfast in the air
I noticed the aroma of breakfast cooking
Hopped in the shower
I took a shower
Would have got dressed but I undressed my girl instead
I opted to undress my girlfriend instead of getting dressed myself
We did some things
We engaged in intimate activities
Got some food and now I'm on my way to work
I ate breakfast and began my commute to work
Got into my car started up drove off now I'm on the road that's when
I got in my car and began driving on the road
I pulled up to this gas station and got into this conversation
I stopped at a gas station and had a conversation
With this girl, I could tell she wanted me but oh
I sensed the girl was attracted to me
If I met you when I was single
Had I met you before I was in a committed relationship
We probably could have been something more
We may have had a romantic connection
Cause you're beautiful
Because you are physically attractive
But you should know
However, it is important to understand
That I found my girl
That I am in a relationship
And I know I love her so
And I am deeply in love with her
I gotta go
I need to leave now
She cracked a smile and she said she understood
The girl smiled and indicated she comprehended my situation
And I sympathize cause every man she had was never any good
I understand her plight because her previous romantic experiences were negative
It's so amazing how much you could learn in just a bit of time
It's remarkable how much one can learn in a short period of time
Like how I see me and her in my mind
For instance, I imagine a romantic relationship between us
That's why I need to pull out of this gas station
This is why I need to leave the gas station
Cause after this conversation with you girl
Because after talking to you
I might just do something I don't wanna do because
I may be tempted to do something I don't want to do
And I know it's such a shame
I understand it's unfortunate
You can't even entertain the things you feel
You can't act on your emotions
Don't feel bad cause I feel the same
Don't feel guilty because I share the same sentiment
It would just be wasted time
It would be a futile effort
Tryna' find if life's greener on the other side
Attempting to determine if another situation is better
I just gotta go, go
I really need to leave
Said I gotta go
I reiterated that I must depart
It's nice to meet you but I
It was pleasant to meet you, but
Ooh but I just gotta go
I need to leave now
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RONNIE JACKSON, PHILLIP CORNISH, TAALIB JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hana Pudyastowo
Woke up this morning
Smelled the breakfast in the air
Hopped in the shower
Would have got dressed but I undressed my girl instead
We did some things
Got some food and now I'm on my way to work
Got into my car started up drove off now I'm on the road that's when
I pulled up to this gas station and got into this conversation
With this girl, I could tell she wanted me but oh
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
She cracked a smile and she said she understood
And I sympathise cause every man she had was never any good
It's so amazing how much you could learn in just a bit of time
Like how I see me and her in my mind
That's why I need to pull out of this gas station
Cause after this conversation witchu girl
I might just do something I don't wanna do because
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
And I know it's such a shame
You can't even entertain the things you feel
Don't feel bad cause I feel the same
It would just be wasted time
Tryna find if life's greener on the other side
Ooh
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
I just gotta go, go
Said I gotta go
It's nice to meet you but I
Ooh but I just gotta go
If I met you when I was single
We probably could have been something more
Cause you're beautiful
But you should know
That I found my girl
And I know I love her so
I gotta go
Jeff the Gent
This song is straight fire! 🔥 I love the story it tells and the message of using will power in the face of temptation. “Single” definitely should’ve been one, so I don’t see why the record company didn’t promote it as one. It’s one of Musiq Soulchild’s strongest songs overall. I don’t know what certain label execs are thinking half the time. Smh.
Aurielle.G
people dont know good music like this anymore
iviana clay
Right
Okeo Parks
You Betta preach sis.
Erica Goodson
I absolutely love this song!!!! True Story!!! Real Talk No AutoTune!!!
Trinity Hurst
This is a 10. Keep being good, Musiq; it works for your music. I enjoy it.
Blu SophiZticated
This song is on repeat ALL day!! I love Musiq and I totally adore this song... Musiq Soulchild is THE TRUTH!!!
Eidnarb Snikeem
He always lays tracks that so many of us can relate to...even as a woman, I often see myself in situations that he sings about. His musich is so therapeutic!
Bougiebuthood
Heard this song at work one night & haven't stop listening to it since... How'd I miss this one. Love me some Soulchild ❤️
JusiotheJadeSparrow
When it comes to Musiq Soulchild, even the sweetest love songs can send tears streaming down my cheeks.