Incredible (Celine Dion and Ne-Yo song)

"Incredible"
Single by Celine Dion and Ne-Yo
from the album Loved Me Back to Life
B-side "Open Arms"
Released
  • 13 December 2013 (promotional)
  • 14 February 2014 (commercial)
Format Digital download
Recorded
Genre
Length 3:55
Label Columbia
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Emanuel Kiriakou
Celine Dion singles chronology
  • "Incredible"
  • (2014)
Ne-Yo singles chronology
  • "Incredible"
  • (2014)
Music video
"Incredible" on YouTube

"Incredible" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion and American singer-songwriter and record producer, Ne-Yo.[1] It was recorded for Dion's English-language studio album, Loved Me Back to Life (2013) and chosen as the second single in North America, most countries in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.[2][3][4][5][6] The song was co-written by Andrew Goldstein, Emanuel Kiriakou and Ne-Yo, and produced by Kiriakou.[7][8]

In mid-December 2013, "Incredible" was nominated in category World's Best Song at the World Music Awards and in late January 2014, it was chosen by NBC as the official anthem of 2014 Winter Olympics.[9][10] The digital single with two rare bonus tracks was released in most countries in Europe, and in Australia and New Zealand on 14 February 2014.[6][11] The song was sent to Adult Contemporary radio stations in the United States on 24 February 2014, and the music video for "Incredible" was released on 4 June 2014.[12][13] "Incredible" was also added to BBC Radio 2's B-List on 12 July 2014 and released as the fourth promotional single in the United Kingdom.[14]

Background and release

Dion and Ne-Yo (who wrote songs for Beyoncé Knowles, Rihanna and many other notable artists) first worked together in 2007.[15] Ne-Yo co-wrote and co-produced "I Got Nothin' Left" for Dion's album Taking Chances, released in November 2007.[16] In September 2012, her official website announced that Dion and Ne-Yo recorded a duet for her upcoming English-language album.[17] Ne-Yo confirmed it in March 2013.[16] Describing the experience as "surreal" to Digital Spy, he said, "The first time I worked for her I wrote a song for her, which in itself was surreal… This time around I actually did a duet with her - it's her and me on one song, which was a challenge to say the least! I was trying to figure what I was even doing there - why would they need my voice when they have hers?."[16] He added, "She wanted to do the song as a duet and I was flattered, but it definitely made me question my vocal ability."[16] In August 2013, Billboard wrote that the song is titled "Incredible."[18] Ne-Yo also wrote and co-produced another song for Loved Me Back to Life titled "Thank You."[18] "Incredible" was co-written by Emanuel Kiriakou and Andrew Goldstein. Kiriakou also first worked with Dion in 2007.[15] He co-produced "Surprise Surprise" recorded for Taking Chances and produced "There Comes a Time" which was included on My Love: Essential Collection (2008).[15][19] On Loved Me Back to Life he also produced "Thankful" and co-produced "Save Your Soul" together with Goldstein and Danny Mercer.[1]

On 24 October 2013, the behind-the-scenes footage of "Incredible" premiered on Access Hollywood and the next day, the video titled "Making of Incredible" was posted on Dion's Vevo channel.[20][21] On 29 October 2013, few days before the release of the album, the official audio of "Incredible" was released on Vevo as well.[22] On 7 November 2013, Ne-Yo announced on his Twitter that "Incredible" is the next single from Loved Me Back to Life.[2] Dion's official website confirmed it on 13 December 2013, saying that this song is the new North American single.[3] On the same day, "Incredible" was officially sent to Contemporary hit radio in Italy.[5] On 2 January 2014, it was also sent to radio in Indonesia.[23] On 14 February 2014, "Incredible" was released as a digital single in most countries in Europe (except France and the UK), in Australia and New Zealand.[6] It includes two rare bonus tracks: "Open Arms" from the Japanese edition of Loved Me Back to Life and a remix of "Loved Me Back to Life" by David Morales.[6][11] "Incredible" was also sent to Adult Contemporary radio stations in the United States on 24 February 2014 and the UK radio on 12 July 2014.[12][14] The commercial singe was scheduled for release in the UK on 28 July 2014 but it was withdrawn at the last minute.[14]

Critical reception

"Incredible" received positive reviews from music critics. Andrew Hampp from Billboard wrote that the song sounds "so massive the Olympic Committee should start bookmarking it for the 2014 Winter Games."[18] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted "Incredible" and called it "soulful," "modern" and "subtle" with "palpable R&B undercurrent."[24] Gary Graff of The Oakland Press called this song a "winner."[25] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian wrote that this duet with Ne-Yo has Dion "reverting to type with a trite ballad that vows their love will "go down in history" but "their voices do meld soulfully."[26] Elysa Gardner of USA Today called it "slick."[27] Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson noted that "Incredible" is a "power ballad that finds Dion trading lines with Ne-Yo, both singers sounding shockingly interchangeable thanks to the heavy vocal post-production."[28]

Commercial performance

On 13 November 2013, thanks to digital downloads, "Incredible" debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number forty-four and number twenty-two on the Hot Canadian Digital Songs chart.[29][30] In the second week, the single fell to number seventy-eight on the Canadian Hot 100 and in the third week, it went down to number eighty-eight.[31][32] Thanks to Dion and Ne-Yo's performance of "Incredible" on two US television shows in mid-December 2013, The Voice and A Home for the Holidays, the song re-entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number eighty-one on 25 December 2013.[33] On 27 November 2013, "Incredible" also debuted on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart at number thirty-seven, beating "Loved Me Back to Life" which peaked there at number thirty-nine.[32] In the next week, it jumped to number thirty-three.[34] Eventually, "Incredible" peaked on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart at number twenty-four on 15 January 2014.[35]

In the United States, the song entered Billboard‍ '​s Pop Digital Songs chart at number twenty-four on 25 December 2013.[33][36] After it was sent to Adult Contemporary radio stations in February 2014, "Incredible" debuted at number twenty-eight on the Billboard's Adult Contemporary on 20 March 2014, becoming Dion's forty-first entry on this chart.[37] It peaked at number twenty-five on 24 April 2014.[30] On the South Korea's Gaon Music Chart, "Incredible" debuted on 14 November 2013 and peaked at number twelve in the second week.[38]

Live performances

On 3 November 2013, Dion and Ne-Yo performed "Incredible" on Le Banquier in Canada to promote the album which was released two days later.[39] They also performed it in the United States on 17 December 2013 during the grand finale of The Voice and on 18 December 2013 during the CBS 15th annual A Home for the Holidays television special that celebrates the joy of adoption by sharing stories of adoption from foster care in order to raise awareness for the cause.[3][40][41] On 31 December 2013, Ne-Yo surprised Dion when he showed up to perform "Incredible" at the New Year's Eve performance of Celine in Las Vegas.[42] On 25 February 2014, Dion officially added "Incredible" to the set list of Celine.[43]

Music video

On 24 January 2014, Dion and Ne-Yo shot the music video for "Incredible" in Los Angeles.[44][45] It premiered over four months later, on 4 June 2014 on Good Morning America.[46][47][48] On 5 June 2014, the video was uploaded onto Dion's official Vevo channel.[13] It was directed by Zach Merck.[49][50] The music video features Dion and Ne-Yo singing on a rooftop, overlooking Los Angeles interspersed with footage of real-life people showing off their incredible talents as well as a misplaced giraffe on the loose wandering around the city.[51]

Track listing

Digital single[6]
No. Title Length
1. "Incredible" (duet with Ne-Yo) 3:55
2. "Open Arms"   3:08
3. "Loved Me Back to Life" (La Vie in Stereo Radio Edit - David Morales) 4:00

Charts

Chart (2013–14) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[52] 44
Canada AC (Billboard)[53] 24
South Korea (Gaon)[38] 12
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[54] 25
US Pop Digital Songs (Billboard)[36] 24

Credits and personnel

Recording
Personnel
  • Songwriting – Andrew Goldstein, Emanuel Kiriakou, Ne-Yo
  • Production – Kiriakou
  • Recording engineers – Kiriakou, Goldstein, Moses Gallart
  • Vocals recording – François Lalonde
  • Vocals recording assistant – Mark Everton Gray
  • Digital editing – Pat Thrall, Jens Koerkemeier
  • Mixing – Serban Ghenea
  • Mixing engineer – John Hanes
  • Mixing engineer assistant – Phil Seaford
  • Lead and background vocals – Celine Dion, Ne-Yo
  • Keyboards and programming – Kiriakou, Goldstein

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Italy[5] 13 December 2013 Promotional single Columbia
Indonesia[23] 2 January 2014
Australia, Europe (except France and the UK), New Zealand[6] 14 February 2014 Digital single
United States[12] 24 February 2014 Adult Contemporary radio
United Kingdom[14] 12 July 2014 Promotional single

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Celine Dion: Loved Me Back to Life". celinedion.com. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 ""Incredible" the next single from @celinedion". Twitter. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Celine On The Voice". celinedion.com. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Celine Dion Gives "Incredible" Performances On The Voice Season Finale". PR Newswire. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Radio date - Incredible (feat. Ne-Yo) - Celine Dion (Sony)". Radio Airplay SRL. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Incredible feat. Ne-Yo". Amazon.de. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Incredible (duet with Ne-Yo)". celinedion.com. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "An "Incredible" Song". celinedion.com. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Nomination for worlds best song". worldmusicawards.com. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Celine Dion and Ne-Yo Team Up for "Incredible" Olympic Duet". KBFF. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "New Bonus Edition Bundle Out This Week!". celinedion.com. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Future releases". All Access Music Group. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Céline Dion duet with Ne-Yo - Incredible". Vevo. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 "B List: Saturday 12th July". All Access Music Group. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Celine Dion: Taking Chances". celinedion.com. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Stutz, Colin (14 March 2013). "Ne-Yo Teams With Celine Dion for Duet: 'It Definitely Made Me Question My Vocal Ability'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "Celine and Ne-Yo Collaborate". celinedion.com. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Hampp, Andrew (29 August 2013). "Celine Dion Talks 'Loved Me Back to Life' Single, Album (Exclusive)". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "Celine Dion: My Love: Ultimate Essential Collection". celinedion.com. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  20. ↑ "Behind-the-Scenes Look At "Incredible"". celinedion.com. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  21. ↑ "Making of "Incredible" (duet with Ne-Yo)". Vevo. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "Céline Dion duet with Ne-Yo - Incredible". Vevo. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Sony Music Indonesia: Céline Dion duet with Ne-Yo - Incredible: 2nd single dari alb. Loved Me Back To Life". Twitter. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  24. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Loved Me Back to Life - Celine Dion Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  25. ↑ Graff, Gary (4 November 2013). "Listening Room: Approach may draw new fans to Celine Dion's "Loved Me"". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  26. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (14 November 2013). "Celine Dion: Loved Me Back to Life – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  27. ↑ Gardner, Elysa (29 October 2013). "Celine Dion dials it down for 'Loved Me Back to Life'". USA Today. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  28. ↑ Henderson, Eric (4 November 2013). "Celine Dion: Loved Me Back to Life Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  29. ↑ Tuch, Paul (13 November 2013). "Celine Dion Scores 13th Number One Album" (PDF). Prometheus Global Media, LLC and The Nielsen Company. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Celine Dion - Awards - AllMusic - Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  31. ↑ Tuch, Paul (20 November 2013). "Lady Gaga, Hedley Lead Album Debuts" (PDF). Prometheus Global Media, LLC and The Nielsen Company. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Tuch, Paul (27 November 2013). "Eminem Tops Album, Hot 100 Chart" (PDF). Prometheus Global Media, LLC and The Nielsen Company. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Chart Moves: Justin Timberlake's 'SNL' Sales Surge, Beatles' 'Bootleg' Release To Extend Copyright Debuts". Billboard. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  34. ↑ Tuch, Paul (4 December 2013). "One Direction Scores Third Straight No. 1 Album Debut" (PDF). Prometheus Global Media, LLC and The Nielsen Company. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  35. ↑ "Canada AC". Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Charts: Pop Digital Songs". Billboard. 26 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  37. ↑ Trust, Gary. "Chart Highlights: Pharrell's 'Happy' Takes Over A Host Of Airplay Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Gaon International Download Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  39. ↑ "Celine On 'Le Banquier' Tonight on TVA". celinedion.com. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  40. ↑ "Celine Will Host 'A Home For The Holidays'". celinedion.com. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  41. ↑ "'A Home For The Holidays With Celine Dion'". celinedion.com. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  42. ↑ "Tonight at the New Year's Eve performance of Celine at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace". The Colosseum at Caesars Palace's Facebook. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  43. ↑ "Celine Las Vegas". celinedion.com. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  44. ↑ "'Whole world is watching us now!' Celine Dion and Ne-Yo get intimate on set of Incredible video shoot". Daily Mail. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  45. ↑ Corner, Lewis (13 February 2014). "Celine Dion, Ne-Yo film 'Incredible' music video - watch". Digital Spy. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  46. ↑ "Premiere Of A Video Clip For "Incredible" On Good Morning America". celinedion.com. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  47. ↑ "Exclusive First Look at Celine Dion and Ne-Yo's Duet". ABC News. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  48. ↑ "Clip de "Incredible" : Céline Dion et Ne-Yo sur le toit du monde" (in French). Webedia. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  49. ↑ "Celine Dion ft. Ne-Yo — Incredible". BLVD Industries. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  50. ↑ "Celine Dion "Incredible" (Zach Merck, dir.)". Videostatic. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  51. ↑ "Video Premiere: Celine Dion - Incredible ft. Ne-Yo". Slack-time. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  52. ↑ "Celine Dion Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Celine Dion. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  53. ↑ "Celine Dion Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canada AC for Celine Dion. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  54. ↑ "Celine Dion Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Celine Dion. Retrieved 24 April 2014.

External links