Cold

"Cold" is a song by Canadian R&B singer Jackson Bradshaw. Written by Bradshaw and Stephanie Kesh, and produced by Carl Falk, it was released in February 2013 as the second single from Bradshaw's debut album Something Special in the UK while it was released internationally and outside of the UK as the third (overall) single. The single mix features American rapper L.E.X..

Promotion surrounding "Cold" was memorably taken over by the Australian-based management firm Az, Drake, Paynter, & Coulter after Bradshaw's original management firm CHRIS were suffering from financial difficulties and were unable to promote the single properly. "Cold" generally received positive reviews and was commercially successful, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart, where it became Bradshaw's second consecutive top three hit single. It also reached the top five or top ten in other countries it was released in.

Background and release
Bradshaw had been working on "Cold" since he working on the first incarnation of his debut album in 2010. Though he would change the album plenty of times over the next couple of years and got rid of certain tracks, Bradshaw decided to keep "Cold" around. Before the current version of "Cold" appeared on Something Special, the song had been rewritten, rearranged, and reworked numerous times.

In mid 2012, after Bradshaw was temporarily transferred to the Australian-based firm Az, Drake, Paynter, & Coulter following financial difficulties regarding Bradshaw's original management firm CHRIS, which left them unable to promote and fund the single properly, American rapper L.E.X. to add a verse to the song for its single mix.

"Cold", now featuring L.E.X., was released in February 2013.

Critical response
Both the original solo version and the single mix got generally positive reviews. L.E.X.'s verse on the single mix was highly praised.

Commercial performance
"Cold" charted at #3 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bradshaw's second top ten hit single in the UK. To date, the single has been certified Silver by the URAPS (Urapopstar Recording Association Phonographic Society) and has sold more than 192,000 copies in total.

Elsewhere, in the US, Canada, and Ireland, the single charted within the top three. In France, the single reached #6 on the singles charts there.

Music video
The music video to "Cold" premiered on January 11, 2013 and was directed and produced by Azbus Dumbledrake, who was hired by the Australian-based entertainment conglomerate Drake Enterprises to direct the video.

The video depicts an aftermath of a fight between two lovers (played by Bradshaw and model Sophie Anna Cardenti). While the two lovers try to reconcile, Bradshaw thinks back on the fight they had which starts with his lover accusing him of being distant and cold before it escalates into the two destroying the other's personal belongings. The climax of the fight happens when Bradshaw stuffs a teddy bear belonging to his girlfriend's in a microphone, which sometime later explodes. Bradshaw apologizes for the incident but the girlfriend walks away and Bradshaw goes out to drive and clear his head. Towards the end of the video, the lovers reconcile and share a kiss.

The video received overwhemingly positive reviews, with many claiming it as Bradshaw's best video to date. The plot, imagery, and direction was heavily praised by critics, as well as the acting by Bradshaw and Cardenti. The video has so far received 16 million views on YouTube and VEVO.

Live performances
In January 2013, Bradshaw performed "Cold" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. For the cover song portion of the set, he sang "Winter" by Nicola. The performance was well-received.