Down (Jay Sean song)

"Down"
Single by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
from the album All or Nothing
Released31 May 2009
Recorded2008–2009
Genre
Length
  • 3:32 (single version)
  • 3:17 (without rap)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jay Sean singles chronology
"Tonight"
(2009) 		"Down"
(2009) 		"Written on Her"
(2009)
Lil Wayne singles chronology
"Maybach Music 2"
(2009) 		"Down"
(2009) 		"Forever"
(2009)
Music video
"Down" on YouTube

"Down" is a song by British singer Jay Sean featuring American rapper and labelmate Lil Wayne.[1] The song was released in North America as his debut single from his first album there, All or Nothing. In other markets, including the United Kingdom, the song serves as Jay Sean's lead single from his third studio album. Produced by J-Remy and Bobby Bass, "Down" is the seventh-best selling single of 2009[2] and has been certified Platinum in several countries.[3] The song went on to sell six million copies in the United States.[4][5]

The track was released to US radio on 31 May 2009 and digital retailers on 30 June 2009. "Down" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the issue dated 17 October 2009, unseating "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas after their 14-week reign at number one. This made Jay Sean the first British act to score a Billboard Hot 100 number-one single since Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in 2008, and the fourth British act overall in the 2000s decade.[6] The song also made him "the first UK urban act ever to top Billboard's Hot 100",[7] and the first British act to have reached number one in the United States and not in the United Kingdom with a song since Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" in 1995. It was also the best-selling single by a British and European male artist in North America since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" in 1997,[8][9][10] and the first by a British Asian artist since Freddie Mercury in 1980.[11]

  1. ^ McCormick, Neil (24 March 2010). "Jay Sean and Taio Cruz wowing America". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  2. ^ Caulfield, Keith (6 January 2010). "Taylor Swift Edges Susan Boyle For 2009's Top-Selling Album". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  3. ^ "Cash Money/Universal Republic Newcomer Jay Sean Hits One Million Platinum Single Milestone with Smash Debut 'Down'". Universalmusic.com. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference riaa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio (7 October 2009), "Jay Sean Sends Peas Packing From Hot 100 Penthouse", Billboard, retrieved 1 November 2009
  6. ^ Bhansali, Akshay (15 April 2009). "Lil Wayne Gives A Boost To British R&B Star Jay Sean". Mtv. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Jay Sean's the Urban US legend", Daily Mirror, UK, 10 October 2009, retrieved 30 September 2009
  8. ^ Duerden, Nick (6 December 2009). "Jay Sean: Ahead of the race". The Independent. UK. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
  9. ^ Live from Studio Five, Episode #1.38, Channel 5, 4 November 2009 (see Jay Sean's Interview live from Studio 5 on Channel 5 – 04 / 11 / 2009 on YouTube)
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference streettalkin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Millard, Robin (1 December 2009). "Freddie's the champion of Indian communities". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 December 2009.