"Commander" | |||||||||||
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Single by Kelly Rowland featuring David Guetta | |||||||||||
from the album Here I Am | |||||||||||
Released | May 17, 2010 | ||||||||||
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Recorded | 2009; Gum Prod Studios (Paris, France) |
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Length | 3:38 | ||||||||||
Label | Universal Motown | ||||||||||
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Kelly Rowland singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Commander" is a song performed by American recording artist Kelly Rowland from her third studio album, Here I Am (2011). It serves as the project's international lead single and her debut release with Universal Motown. It was co-written by American songwriter Rico Love, who described the song as a "fun and aggressive club record" with themes of female empowerment and lyrics with deliberate grammatical errors. French disc jockeys and producers David Guetta and Sandy Vee produced "Commander" with synthesized dance beats that blend R&B with electronica and house music. Rowland and Guetta had previously topped charts around the world with a similar dance production, "When Love Takes Over", in 2009. The song was premiered at the 2010 Winter Music Conference and subsequently garnered acclaim from contemporary critics for Rowland's vocal performance as well as Guetta's musical production.
Just over a month after release, it topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs and later peaked within the top-ten in the United Kingdom and top-twenty in Ireland and New Zealand. Entertainment Weekly named "Commander" the number-one summer jam of 2010 and named by Fitness Magazine as one of The Top 100 Workout Songs of 2010. The song was nominated at the International Dance Music Awards for Best R&B/Urban Dance Track. An accompanying music video was directed by Masashi Muto, and portrays Rowland facing herself in various dance-off scenes. Promotion for the release included performing the song live on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and The Graham Norton Show. The Extended Dance Mix, also produced by Guetta, was released alongside the main single worldwide, whereas the urban remix with American rapper Nelly was released in the United Kingdom and the United States.