Top 10 Kelly Rowland Songs

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10
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"Commander" featuring David Guetta (2010)

After the huge international pop success of their collaboration on "When Love Takes Over," Kelly Rowland headed back to the studio with David Guetta while beginning work on songs that would ultimately result in the Here I Am album. The recording is in the vein of uptempo house music. It reached #1 on the dance club chart in the US and was a top 10 pop hit in the UK, her fifth there as lead artist. Fitness magazine named "Commander" one of the top 100 workout songs for 2010.

Here I Am was finally released in July 2011, more than a year after "Commander." On the heels of the success of the single "Motivation," Here I Am soared to #3 on the album chart, the highest placing of Kelly Rowland's career. It also topped the R&B albums chart.

The accompanying music video for "Commander" was filmed by Japanese director Masashi Muto. The powerful visuals in the clip brought to mind classic work by Janet Jackson.

09
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"Ice" featuring Lil Wayne (2012)

After their success collaborating on "Motivation," Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne collaborated once again on "Ice," a song about how to use ice on a naked body. The pair once again turn up the erotic temperature. Critics praised the pair for creating a worthy successor to "Motivation." However, some observers believed that the song was merely covering old ground even though Kelly Rowland's vocals remained strong. "Ice" was originally planned for the Talk a Good Game album, but it was left off the final track list. The song broke into the top 25 of the R&B singles chart in the US. R&B songwriter and producer Sean Garrett, responsible for nearly twenty #1 hit singles, co-wrote and co-produced "Ice."

08
of 10

"Dilemma" with Nelly (2002)

With Destiny's Child at the peak of their success, rapper Nelly asked Kelly Rowland to provide the female vocal for his song "Dilemma." It was the first major single she participated on outside of Destiny's Child. The chemistry between the pair turned into a massive pop hit. "Dilemma" quickly went to #1 on the pop singles chart in the US and many other countries around the world earning two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap / Sung Collaboration and Record Of the Year. "Dilemma" spent ten non-consecutive weeks at #1 in the US being listed as the fourth biggest single of the year. It also topped the UK pop singles chart for two weeks.

The success of "Dilemma" caused a reshuffling of the release of the first albums by Destiny's Child members Beyonce and Kelly Rowland herself. The original plan included Beyonce releasing her debut in October 2002 to be followed by Kelly Rowland's album in 2003. Instead, the summer 2002 success of "Dilemma" prompted an October 2002 release of Kelly Rowland's debut Simply Deep followed by Beyonce's Dangerously In Love in June 2003. Simply Deep peaked at #12 on the album chart and earned a gold certification for sales.

07
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"Kisses Down Low" (2013)

"Kisses Down Low" is Kelly Rowland at her most overtly erotic. It was released as the official first single from her album Talk a Good Game after "Ice" was left off the final project. The song raised Kelly Rowland's growing reputation for sultry, sexy songs following "Motivation" and "Ice." It was produced by hot rising producer Mike Will Made It. The song climbed inside the top 30 on the R&B singles chart and earned a gold certification for sales.

The album Talk a Good Game was designed to be Kelly Rowland's most personal to date and it was centered around the influence of such R&B greats as Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. She worked with a wide range of rising R&B producers and songwriters as well as veteran Rodney Jerkins. Upon release in June 2013, Talk a Good Game peaked at #4 on both the R&B and overall album charts.

06
of 10

"Work" (2008)

"Work" is a high energy track from Kelly Rowland's second studio album Ms. Kelly. It was co-produced and co-written by Scott Storch. The vocal style is very similar to the work of Destiny's Child. "Work" was held back from being a single release in the US, but it became a top 10 pop hit in many countries around the world. With negative feedback from online comments, Kelly Rowland was concerned the song had little commercial potential until a Freemasons remix created new interest in the song. "Work" reached #4 on the UK pop singles chart.

The accompanying music video for "Work" was directed by Philip Andelman. It features Kelly Rowland and four dancers shot against a variety of colorful backgrounds. 

05
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"Like This" featuring Eve (2007)

"Like This" began as a track by producer Polow da Don. Sean Garrett worked on it to develop the song and it became the first single released from Kelly Rowland's second studio album Ms. Kelly. Kelly Rowland has said the song perfectly represents her "sassy" attitude she was trying to project when revamping the original version of the album. "Like This" earned popularity in clubs and eventually topped the dance chart in the US. The style of the recording is influenced by both dirty south rap and go-go music. It climbed to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming one of Kelly Rowland's biggest pop hits as a solo artist. "Like This" also reached #4 on the pop singles chart in the UK.

The album Ms. Kelly was released in June 2007 and became Kelly Rowland's first top 10 charting release. It also climbed to #2 on the R&B albums chart. 

04
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"Without Me" with Fantasia featuring Missy Elliott (2013)

Former American Idol champion Fantasia released "Without Me" as the second single from her album Side Effects Of You. It is a superstar trio with Missy Elliott in addition to Kelly Rowland along for the record. Fantasia has stated the inspiration for the song was a late night heated argument over the phone. After the conversation, Fantasia returned to the studio and requested that producer Harmony Samuels give her something "hood." All three artists appear in the accompanying music video. The song was a top 30 hit on the R&B singles chart reaching #6 at R&B radio.

03
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"Dirty Laundry" (2013)

"Dirty Laundry" digs deep into Kelly Rowland's personal life. She openly details her envy of the success of Beyonce after the breakup of Destiny's Child and her experience of domestic abuse in a personal relationship. She later said that Beyonce encouraged her to leave the relationship. The song was produced and co-written by The-Dream. He has stated that he wanted to push Kelly Rowland outside her comfort zone and show fans exactly who she is. "Dirty Laundry" was widely praised for its honesty and openness. Kelly Rowland stated that she required nearly a dozen takes in order to make it through her vocals without breaking down in tears. "Dirty Laundry" is included on the album Talk a Good Game and broke into the top 50 of the R&B singles chart.

02
of 10

"When Love Takes Over" with David Guetta (2009)

French dance music producer David Guetta was looking for a breakthrough hit outside of France when he put together this invigorating dance record with Kelly Rowland providing the vocals. Her record label was not excited about the record because it moved outside of Kelly Rowland's R&B background, but critics ultimately praised the power of her vocals. The song hit the pop top 10 almost everywhere in the world outside of the US including going all the way to #1 on the UK pop singles chart. It was the first single from David Guetta's album One Love and was a #1 dance club hit in the US ultimately becoming the biggest dance hit of the year in the US.

"When Love Takes Over" was a major breakthrough for both Kelly Rowland and David Guetta. He brought her the biggest international pop success of her career and expanded the base of her fans to include many in the dance music world. For David Guetta, it was his first single to reach the upper reaches of mainstream pop charts around the world. It began a string of five major pop smash hits from the album One Love.

01
of 10

"Motivation" featuring Lil Wayne (2011)

Kelly Rowland's "Motivation" was an instant slow R&B jam classic upon release. Celebrated hip hop producer Jim Jonsin co-wrote and co-produced the record. It was released as the official first single from the album Here I Am although "Commander," released a year earlier, was also included on the album. "Motivation" climbed to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming Kelly Rowland's highest charting single as lead artist. The song topped the R&B chart for seven weeks and was certified double platinum for sales. "Motivation" earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. It won the Soul Train Music Award for Song of the Year and the Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Song.

The accompanying music video was directed by Sarah Chatfield who is known for her work with Lily Allen and Lykke Li. The clip is a sultry, seductive short film that critics praised for matching the sound of the song perfectly.