"Right There" is a song by American singer Nicole Scherzinger, from her debut studio album, Killer Love (2011). The song was released on May 17, 2011, as the third single from the album by Interscope and associated record labels. As the third single, a remix was recorded featuring American rapper 50 Cent and was included as a bonus track on the Australian edition of the album. The song was originally intended to be the first single to precede the album in the United States. Written by Ester Dean, Frank Romano, Daniel Morris, and co-written and produced by Jim Jonsin, it is an island-flavored midtempo R&B-pop song that sees Scherzinger singing about her what she wants her lover to do and warning other suitors to back off.

Upon its release, "Right There" was praised by critics for its urban production, which stood out from other disco-influenced songs on mainstream radio. Scherzinger also earned praise for the playful nature and Caribbean influences. Music critics compared the song to Bajan artist Rihanna, and her single "Rude Boy". Some critics lamented the song for having lazy lyrics and being overly sexual, critiques Scherzinger denied by calling it a love ballad. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number three, giving Scherzinger her fourth consecutive top-ten single.

Outside of the UK, the song peaked in the top-ten of eight other national charts including in Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, and on Billboards Euro Digital Songs chart. In the US, "Right There" peaked within the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified double platinum In Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), as well gold in both the UK and the US by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), respectively. An accompanying music video, featuring 50 Cent, saw Scherzinger reunite with director Paul Hunter. It features a number of dance scenes set in downtown Los Angeles, with Scherzinger appearing in a Pocahontas-inspired outfit. The visual was the most watched video on YouTube on the day of its release, scoring a similar accolade on MTV's website "Right There" was promoted with multiple live performances across 2011, including appearances and performances on Britain's Got Talent, The Graham Norton Show, Capital FM's Summertime Ball, American Idol and The Ellen DeGeneres Show show. It was also featured in the setlist for Scherzinger's debut solo concert tour, the Killer Love Tour (2012).

Background and release

Following the release of "Poison", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 2010, follow-up single "Don't Hold Your Breath" would go on to top the chart in the United Kingdom in March 2011. This gave Scherzinger her first solo chart topper, though this was her third overall when including singles with the Pussycat Dolls. Shortly after, her debut album Killer Love was released on March 21, 2011. Less than a month later, it was confirmed that "Right There", produced by Jim Jonsin, would be the album's third single in the UK, but also the lead single for the American release of Killer Love. It was also confirmed that American rapper 50 Cent would feature on a new version of the song for the release. The UK release was scheduled for June 6, 2011.

Around the same time as this confirmation, MTV reported that Jim Jonsin was set work with 50 Cent for the first time. Vibe later confirmed that it was during these sessions in April 2011 that 50 Cent added two verses to "Right There". On April 1, 2011, the song was playlisted by BBC Radio 1Xtra and began garnering airplay on UK radio stations. It was released commercially for digital download on May 17, 2011, by Interscope Records and Universal Music. A week later, it was serviced to US contemporary hit radio and rhythmic radio. A remix EP was released on June 24, 2011, in the UK and July 26, 2011, in the United States. In 2022, Rain Radio (a collective of unknown producers and DJs) released the song "He Goes Down", which samples Scherzinger's vocals from "Right There" atop a "house music bassline".

Recording and production "Right There" was written by James Scheffer, Ester Dean, Frank Romano and Daniel Morris. Dean also co-wrote another Killer Love song, "Wet", which would go on to be released as the fourth single from the album. "Right There" was produced by Jim Jonsin for Rebel Rock, while vocals were produced by Harvey Mason Jr. Angela N. Golightly oversaw co-ordination of production, with the majority of production and recording taking place at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. Instrumentation included programming and keyboards played by Jonsin, with further keyboards by Morris, and guitars and bass by Romano. The composition was recorded by Robert Marks, with assistance from Ghazi Hourani. Marks also mixed the record at Record Plant with Matt Huber and Justin Merril. Scherzinger's vocals were recorded by Andrew Hey, David Boyd, and Michael Daley with additional recording from Dabling Howard, all of whom are part of Mason Jr.'s production house and vocals were recorded at his studio Mason Sound in North Hollywood. Chris Cheney and Ky Miller respectively engineered and recorded the single version of "Right There", which features 50 Cent. Mason Jr. is also credited as an additional producer on this version.

Music and lyrics Musically, "Right There" is a pop and R&B song. According to Eliot Glazier of MTV Buzzworthy, the song is built on an "electric guitar lick that rips through the song's bass line". It was seen as a similar technique and vibe to how "Edge of Seventeen" (1982) by Stevie Nicks was sampled by Destiny's Child on their 2001 single "Bootylicious". Rap-Ups Devin described the song as a "spicy jam" with a "glistening beat". Lewis Corner from Digital Spy described Scherzinger's style of singing on "Right There" as a "seductive faux-Caribbean twang" which complimented the production of "reggae guitar strums", noting that the overall effect was a "tropical flavour". Among the lyrics are the lines "No I ain't never gonna let no girl take him from me / Never gonna let no girl steal him from me / Never gonna let no girl get that close now", highlighting the themes of the song which include expressing love for her partner and fending off unwanted attention from other women. Scherzinger sings "Come here baby put your hands on my body" which segues, into one of 50 Cent's verses, where the rapper says "I'll explore your body completely". AOL Radio's Nadine Cheung noted that the song would draw comparisons to Rihanna, but 50 Cent's lyrics made an "uncanny lyrical reference" to Destiny's Child.

Critical reception AOL Radio's Cheung praised "Right There" for its "catch repetitive chorus" and an "uncanny lyrical reference". MTVs Glazier agreed with this notion, stating that it was refreshing to see "Right There" embrace an "R&B-heavy sound on a pop record" at a time when radio was playing a lot of "disco-pop". David Griffiths of 4Music listed "Right There" as one of the highlights of the album. He also described the song as a "better and polite version" of Rihanna's "Rude Boy" (2009). Corner of Digital Spy awarded the song four out of five stars, describing it as a "provocative and hip-grinding bottle of pop". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave "Right There" a B rating and commented that "The ex-Pussycat invites Fiddy to frolic on her own personal Scherzy Shore, purring come-ons in a vaguely Caribbean patois". Becky Bain of Idolator agreed, saying "not sure how much Fiddy adds to this song". However, she also said, "adding a superfluous rap verse to your pop song never seems to go out of style. All the better to make your mark on as many charts as possible, my dear!" Adeshola Adigun for DJ Booth echoed Shetler's commenting: "While there’s nothing ground-breaking about new single Right There, it's one of those songs that you could definitely get down to, after more than a couple drinks at the club[.]"

However, not all reviews were positive, The Guardian Johnny Dee criticized the song for being a "shameless Rihanna rip-off". He said that the song "is also one of those ridiculous sex songs that completely dispenses with mystery and eroticism and ends up making the fine art of making love sound like DIY instructions". Pip Ellwood for Entertainment-Focus wrote that the "Scherzinger does misfire once or twice like the cod-Jamaican 'Right There'". Andrew Unterberger of Popdust was unimpressed with the song, criticizing it for echoing the sound of Rihanna and the "ridiculous and lazy lyrics". During an interview with ITV1's breakfast TV show Daybreak on June 13, 2011, Scherzinger addressed claims that the song was "too raunchy" by describing "Right There" as a "beautiful love ballad".

Commercial performance "Right There" made its first chart appearance at number 58 on the UK Singles Chart on the chart dated May 15, 2011. During its fourth week, the song leapt from number fourteen to number three, selling 51,355 copies. Music Week Alan Jones attributed the high sales to Scherzinger's performances at the final of Britain’s Got Talent and on The Graham Norton Show. "Right There" became Scherzinger's fourth consecutive top-ten single as a solo artist behind "Heartbeat" (2010), "Poison" (2010), and "Don't Hold Your Breath" (2011). Counting her singles with the Pussycat Dolls, it is her eighteenth top-forty single. The song has been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 200,000 copies in the UK. As of December 2011, the song has sold 308,000 copies in the UK and was one of the bestselling songs of 2011. It also remained on the UK singles chart for 23 consecutive weeks. In Ireland "Right There" debuted at number 22 on May 26, 2011. In its fifth week, the song peaked at number seven and it remained in the top-ten for several weeks. It also peaked at number six on Billboard regional chart for Europe, the Euro Digital Songs chart.

"Right There" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 34 on October 8, 2012, giving Scherzinger her first chart entry as a solo artist in the country. The song entered the top-ten on its fifth week, peaking at number seven for two consecutive weeks. "Right There" debuted at number 40 on the Australian Singles Chart o July 17, 2011. On August 8, 2011, it peaked at number eight, staying for three consecutive weeks. The song has been certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 140,000 copies in Australia. In the US, the song debuted at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 4, 2011, selling 30,000 digital copies in its first week. "Right There" became the singer's first chart solo entry since her first attempt at a solo career in 2007. Seven weeks later it reached a final peak at number 39, becoming her highest-charting single on the Hot 100; the song stayed at number 39 for two straight weeks. However, it subsequently dropped down the charts, landing at number 51 two weeks after its peak, and then number 72 the week after. "Right There" also reached number 33 on the Hot Digital Songs on the week ending July 21, 2011. It additionally peaked at number eight on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart issue dated September 3, 2011. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 500,000 certified units in the US. In Canada, "Right There" peaked at number 44.

Live performances