Songfacts®:

• "Breathe" features Sean Paul on vocals. The song was originally recorded for Blu Cantrell's Bittersweet album without the Jamaican dancehall reggae star, but his vocals were added for the single.
• Blu Cantrell was feeling depressed after a difficult breakup with a boyfriend. She admits in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, "That song is also a snapshot of that relationship. Sometimes you have to step back and give each other space."
• The song is based around the instrumentation of Dr. Dre's "What's The Difference," which itself heavily samples "Parce Que Tu Crois" by French crooner Charles Aznavour.
• Cantrell was asked by the Metro newspaper December 1, 2003 what it was like working with Dr Dre. She replied: "It was a remix, so I never actually got to meet him. They were his beats, but it was actually produced by another girl, Andrea Martin, and Ivan Matias. If I had to choose, I much prefer the remix to the original."
• Hype Williams directed the music video, which finds Cantrell and Sean Paul performing against a blue backdrop while cutting to scenes of Cantrell driving recklessly through the streets.
• British band Years & Years covered this on their 2014 Take Shelter EP.
• A September 17, 2024, TikTok post by user @clozvr playing a Gilmore Girls clip over the Years & Years' version of "Breathe" went viral on the platform. In the scene, Kirk Gleason's declaration of love is met with skepticism from his love interest's father. Kirk's unexpected response? A spontaneous dance soundtracked by "Breathe." TikTok users quickly jumped on the trend, sharing their own goofy dance moves to the scene.
• "Breathe" was a #1 hit in the UK but had little impact in America, where Blu Cantrell is best known for the song "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)."