"My Man" is an R&B and soul song recorded by American singer Tamar Braxton for her fifth studio album Bluebird of Happiness (2017). Braxton and Cory Rooney wrote the song, which was produced by Bob Robinson. It was released for digital download and streaming on April 27, 2017, as the album's lead single. "My Man" was the first single from Braxton's independent record label, Tamartian Land, created with the support of eOne Entertainment.
The song's lyrics concern infidelity and were based on Braxton's parents and their divorce after her father's affair. Braxton wrote the song from her mother's perspective on the relationship. Describing "My Man" as her most personal song, Braxton used one of her past relationships as additional inspiration.
Critics considered "My Man" as one of the highlights of Bluebird of Happiness and praised Braxton's vocals. The song peaked at No. 3 on Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart and No. 21 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. "My Man" was featured on an episode of the reality television series Braxton Family Values. Braxton's performance at the BET Awards 2017 was praised as one of the event's highlights, although some critics believed she was lip syncing. Laurieann Gibson directed the music video, which features Braxton confronting her lover and his mistress in a hotel room.
Background and release
Tamar Braxton co-wrote "My Man" with Cory Rooney for her fifth studio album Bluebird of Happiness (2017). The song was produced by Bob Robinson, who worked with Braxton on her eponymous debut album in 2000. Braxton based "My Man" on her parents' marriage and their divorce following her father's infidelity. While developing the lyrics, she imagined her mother's perspective to convey her emotions "as a woman and not just as [a] mom".
Additional inspiration came from one of Braxton's past relationships that caused her to question her self-worth. According to Braxton, the single was written and recorded quickly; she explained that it "just rolled out of me". She identified "My Man" as her most personal song and said the single and overall album was "the first time you see an X-ray vision of Tamar and everything I've been through". Braxton co-wrote every song on Bluebird of Happiness.
Prior to the song's release, Braxton had played it for her father, whom she told that she had forgiven for his past affair. He was initially flattered that she wrote a song about him, although he did not pay attention to the lyrics. "My Man" premiered in late April 2017 on Braxton Family Values, a reality television series about the five Braxton sisters (Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar). In Entertainment Tonight, Latifah Muhammad said Braxton's frank discussion about her parents' divorce and her current relationship with them showed how the Braxton family include "some tough moments on camera for their reality show".
Braxton released "My Man" on April 27, 2017, as the album's lead single for digital download and streaming. The single was sent to urban radio stations on July 18, 2017. It was the only song on Bluebird of Happiness to be marked for explicit content. "My Man" was the first song from Braxton's independent record label, which she created in partnership with eOne Entertainment. She left Epic Records, which released three of her albums, to have more control over her career. When discussing this decision, Braxton said she was happy about not having to "sell people on things that I want to do". For the release of "My Man", Braxton named her label Tamartian Land, a reference to her fans' nickname as "Tamartians". The name changed to Logan Land for Bluebird of Happiness as a reference to her son, Logan.
Music and lyrics
"My Man" is an R&B and soul ballad, performed in the style of a slow jam and a torch song. The album version of the song lasts four minutes and eleven seconds, and a radio edit version shortens it by twenty-four seconds. In an Uproxx article, Elias Leight cited the single as an example of how R&B music uses "updates of the Southern soul sound", and in Rolling Stone, he said it "draws on a long line of fraught, theatrical soul ballads". Critics described its overall tone as sad, especially when compared to the more upbeat composition of "Pick Me Up", another track from Bluebird of Happiness.