| "Don't Hold Your Breath" | ||||
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| Single by Nicole Scherzinger | ||||
| from the album Killer Love | ||||
| Released | March 10, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:17 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
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| Nicole Scherzinger singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath" on YouTube | ||||
"Don't Hold Your Breath" is a song by American singer Nicole Scherzinger, taken from her debut album, Killer Love (2011). The song began as a demo or reference track by American artists Timbaland and Keri Hilson, which leaked online in June 2010. It went through various iterations and versions which leaked ahead of its release in 2011. The final mixed and mastered version of "Don't Hold Your Breath" was released on March 10, 2011, through Interscope Records, preceding its parent album by one week. "Don't Hold Your Breath" was written by a trio of American songwriters: Josh Alexander, Toby Gad, and Billy Steinberg. It is an empowering independence anthem with lyrics that speak of rebuking the advances of an ex-lover, that features a pop and synth-pop production, with electro-pop beats and Eurodance stylings. Production was courtesy of Carl Falk, Rami and Steve Josefsson.
Many music critics praised the dance-pop, pop music and synth-pop song for its brilliance and anthemic qualities, as well as the conviction and lyrics about independence and freedom. The song was also praised as a worthy successor to Killer Love's prior single "Poison" (2010). "Don't Hold Your Breath" topped both the Scottish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart, as well as making top-five appearances in Australia and Ireland, and on the Billboard Euro Digital Songs chart. In the United Kingdom, it dethroned "Someone Like You" by Adele only to be replaced by the same song the following week. The former became Scherzinger's third UK chart topper behind her singles "Don't Cha" and "Stickwitu", released as part of the Pussycat Dolls.
On the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, "Don't Hold Your Breath" was blocked from number one by Jessica Sutta's single "Show Me". As of March 2021, the song had sold over 621,000 copies, and been streamed over 14 million times in the UK, earning it a Platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In Australia, "Don't Hold Your Breath" earned a 2× Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In Cosmopolitan magazine's 'Best Break Up Songs' ranking, the song appeared at number nine, and it also ranked at number 23 on the Huffington Post's 'Top 50 Number Ones of the Last Ten Years' list.
An accompanying music video for was directed by Rich Lee, and follows Scherzinger as she experiences the emotions of the song. Scenes include a hackney carriage journey, self-realisation, scornful glances in the mirror, and wandering around an old house. The visual received generally positive reviews from critics, who described it as one of Scherzinger's most personal music videos to date. "Don't Hold Your Breath" was performed across a variety of TV Shows, including Dancing on Ice, Let's Dance for Comic Relief, and Good Morning America. A number of remixes by DJs and producers were released in support of the song, and it also featured in the setlist for Scherzinger's debut solo concert tour the Killer Love Tour.