Above Ground

"Above Ground" is a song by Canadian R&B singer Jackson Bradshaw. Written by Bradshaw and his frequent songwriting partner Stephanie Kesh and produced by Geenuis & Zinc, "Above Ground" was initially released as a digital-only single in June 2013 before it was later released officially as the fourth and final single from Bradshaw's debut album Something Special on September 9, 2013. In the UK, the single was paired with "In Touch", a duet between Bradshaw and American urban pop singer Honey, as a double A-side single.

Release
"Above Ground" had a lengthy pre-release history before it was finally released officially. Regarded as a fan favorite, "Above Ground" was always considered to be released as a single during Bradshaw's Something Special era, which instead originally ended after three singles being released, with the song not being one of them.

Bradshaw decided to release "Above Ground" as a digital release in April as a "random surprise" for his fans and then as a "surprise" fourth single from Something Special in May 2013; it was eventually postponed. In June 2013, "Above Ground" was released as a digital only single.

On September 9, 2013, the single was finally released as the "surprise" fourth and final single from Something Special. It was released on CD single and digital download.

Bradshaw admitted to releasing the song as a single to thank his fans for his debut album Something Special going Diamond in the UK. The song was slightly remixed for its single release. "Above Ground" was also released in Australia and New Zealand. It became Bradshaw's first single to not be released in his home country of Canada.

Promotion
In the UK, alongside with "In Touch", "Above Ground" suffered from low promotion of Bradshaw. Bradshaw later admitted that he had "dropped the ball" and would do better on future releases.

Critical reception
"Above Ground" was considered a fan favorite when Something Special was released and received positive reviews from critics and fans who mainly praised its lyrics and Bradshaw's vocal performance.

Commercial performance
When it was released as a digital only single in the UK, it peaked at #10 on the UK Digital Chart. The single re-entered the UK Digital Chart at #17, once it was originally released as a single. "Above Ground" peaked at #15 on the UK Top 40 airplay chart, going recurrent after staying on the chart for eleven weeks.

In September 2013, alongside with his AA "partner" "In Touch", the single peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bradshaw's first single to miss the top ten since "Hard To Find" in 2011. To date, the single has sold 69,482 copies in the UK.

The single charted at #7 in Australia and #11 in New Zealand.

Background
Any release of the single was revealed when a false news story leaked to the press that Bradshaw had drowned in a lake. Bradshaw quickly went to Twitter and confirmed that he was pretending to drown but only because he was shooting a music video for "Above Ground", ultimately revealing the single's existence.

Bradshaw shot the video in April 2013 throughout his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Bradshaw shot the video in various lakes but mainly at Harrison Lake and the Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa which lies on the outskirts of Vancouver. He also shot parts of the video underwater at a swimming pool at the resort. Due to "Above Ground" being postponed numerous times, the video was also postponed.

The video was not originally supposed to have a storyline and was supposed to compose of random scenes edited together of Bradshaw and his friends at a lake, enjoying themselves. It was decided, at the last minute, that the film should have a plot after all.

The video to "Above Ground" premiered on August 29, 2013.

Plot
The video starts out with Bradshaw on a boat looking out at sea thinking of the day he met a mysterious woman. On that particular day, Bradshaw was hanging with his best friend at the pier when they both decide to take a jump and swim in the lake. As they play around, Bradshaw is suddenly pulled under by a mysterious woman who turns out to be a mermaid. Him and the mermaid enjoy themselves underwater until he is suddenly pulled up from the water. It turns out that Bradshaw, for whatever reason, fainted, went under, and became unconscious. His best friend has rescued him and pulled him back on the pier. Bradshaw wonders if he had dreamed his encounter with a mermaid.

Reception
The video received positive reviews from critics and fans, who were finally relieved that the video had finally come out after months of delays and what they felt were "teases" from Bradshaw. The video has gained 33 million views on YouTube and VEVO.

Track listing

 * "In Touch"/"Above Ground" CD single and digital download
 * 1) "In Touch" (with Honey)
 * 2) "In Touch" (with Honey) (Throwback Pop Mix/Pop Version)
 * 3) "In Touch" [Solo Demo Version]
 * 4) "Above Ground" (Single Mix)
 * 5) "Above Ground" (Album Version)
 * 6) "Above Ground" (Payola Radio Hearts Remix)


 * Digital download
 * 1) "Above Ground" (Single Mix)
 * 2) "Above Ground" (Acoustic Version)
 * 3) "Above Ground" (Payola Radio Hearts Remix)
 * 4) "Above Ground" [Music Video]