When I Met You (Fantasia song)

"When I Met You" was written by Priscilla Hamilton and Ron Feemster, who produced the track with Ron Fair. Paul Jackson Jr. played guitar on the track, while Feemster played the organ and programmed the drums. Fair, who played the bass, harmonica, and piano, also arranged and produced Fantasia's vocals while acting as the conductor of the string section. The single was engineered by Fair and Pat Thrall, with strings supplied by Steve Genewick. Peter Mokran mixed the vocals, assisted by Chandler Harrod. RCA executives had originally intended to release "When I Met You" as the second single from Fantasia's fifth studio album, The Definition Of... (2016). Fantasia disagreed with the label's decision, preferring to release the song "Sleeping with the One I Love" instead. She proceeded to conduct polls during a series of radio interviews, asking listeners to choose which track they wanted to be released. Ultimately, they voted for "Sleeping with the One I Love", which was released as the second single instead of "When I Met You". ==Composition and lyrics==

{{Listen An R&B and pop song, "When I Met You" is a mid-tempo, ballad that is four minutes and 33 seconds in length. It is composed in the key of C-sharp minor and has a tempo of 80 beats per minute. The track was described as "reflective" by a writer from Rap-Up and Homorazzi.com's Donovan. Its instrumentation includes "snap-cadences and strings". PopCrush's Matthew Scott Donnelly identified the single as an "early '90s benevolent R&B-pop" song that reveals "how a relationship restored [Fantasia's] sense of self". This part of the track includes lines such as: "I still remember the day, it was beautiful. And if I hadn’t went through the things I went through before then I wouldn’t know how special you are." ==Reception==

"When I Met You" received positive reviews from music critics. The track was selected as one of the highlights from The Definition Of... by a reviewer for the music website You Know I Got Soul, who praised Fantasia's vocals and her how she blended in influences from legendary R&B artists. While discussing the music video, the writer described the song as "showcas[ing] just why Fantasia is one of [R&B]’s elite artists" and felt it would appeal to fans of R&B music. The Boomboxs Amber McKynzie commended Fantasia for "bring[ing] the definition of love to life with this jubilant ballad". ==Music video==

Background and casting The music video for "When I Met You", directed by American photographer Derek Blanks, was filmed on Christmas Day 2016, around the same time Fantasia and Taylor renewed their wedding vows. The music video was released on January 27, 2017, and stars Fantasia's daughter Zion as a younger version of herself and Taylor as her primary love interest. The protagonist's secondary love interest is played by Kairo Whitfield, the son of The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Shereé Whitfield. Fantasia said that the video was inspired by "that '90s throwback vibe," referring to that period as "[a] true era of music". She also identified her character's role in the video as someone who is "blinded by a false idea of love". A writer from Rap-Up summarized the video as "the story of romance through the years, from puppy love to marriage". as well as a hairstyle reminiscent of American singer T-Boz. Echoing Singersroom, a writer from SoulBounce called it "a lovey dovey music video right in time for Valentine's Day". She wrote that the visual was "a family affair that will give you all the feels," saying that "it's great to get a glimpse at [Fantasia's] happily ever after". Anthony Chocolate from WDAS-FM called the video "romantic," and Donovan felt that it was "an equally touching affair". Donovan also enjoyed the casting of Zion and Taylor, believing that they "g[ave] the video some authenticity". ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Definition Of... , 19 Recordings, RCA. Personnel • Arranged By [Strings], Bass, Conductor [Strings], Harmonica, Piano, Producer [Vocals] – Ron Fair • Arranged By [Vocals] – Priscilla "Priscilla Renea" Hamilton, Ron Fair • Drum Programming, Organ – Ron "NEFF-U" Feemster • Engineer [Recording] – Pat Thrall, Ron Fair • Engineer [Strings] – Steve Genewick • Guitar – Paul Jackson, Jr. • Producer – Priscilla "Priscilla Renea" Hamilton, Ron "NEFF-U" Feemster, Ron Fair • Written by – Priscilla "Priscilla Renea" Hamilton, Ron Feemster == Charts ==