"Start Without You" is a song by British recording artist Alexandra Burke. Featuring vocals from Jamaican American reggae rapper Laza Morgan, it was written by Kristian Lundin, Eddy Grant, Savan Kotecha, Julian Bunetta, and RedOne. The song is an R&B song, which incorporates reggae fusion and dancehall. According to Burke the song was inspired by her Jamaican heritage and her need for a summer song. The song came about after studio sessions booked with RedOne produced a number of new records that were going to be used for a re-release of Overcome or Burke's second album.

The unfinished version leaked online several days before the song was confirmed to before being revealed in its finished form as Burke's new single. It was officially first released for digital download on 31 August 2010, serving as the first single from the re-release of her debut album, Overcome. "Start Without You" received favourable reviews from critics complimenting its summer and dance feel. The song debuted at the top of the singles chart in the United Kingdom, as well as peaking in the top five in Ireland. Its accompanying music video, directed by Max and Dania, features Burke dancing in a lace outfit working out with men in a gym and dancing. Burke performed the song notably a number of times including on Magic Numbers.

In a May 2010 interview with Digital Spy, Burke revealed she recorded new songs with RedOne for either her second album or a re-release of her first studio album, Overcome. However she stated she could not reveal anything until that upcoming August. Then the singer gave an interview where she acknowledged that earlier in the year twenty-four of her songs leaked as part of the forty that leaked from Syco Music, which included material from previous The X Factor winner, Leona Lewis. It was also revealed that an additional song, "Start Without You" leaked on 8 June 2010, a day before she would confirm that the song was, in fact, the first single from the upcoming re-release of Overcome on her official blog. Burke said that the leak had come from within the label and that the suspects were "two little boys in Germany, on work experience." However, Burke did not lament the leak, stating, "It's a shame when music gets put out there when it's not ready, but at the end of the day, it creates buzz and who doesn't love a bit of buzz?"

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