Songfacts®:

• If the United States Postal Service ever decides to diversify into R&B, it might want to consult Brent Faiyaz. "Have To" is essentially a next-day-delivery love song, only instead of parcels, he's shipping devotion across time zones and tour dates.
• On the surface, "Have To" is a long-distance slow burn: the career is demanding, the flights are long, the nights are longer. But Faiyaz dramatizes the long-distance ache with shipping metaphors and racing clocks. It's a song about man dreaming of touching down and reuniting with his loved one.
• "Have To" was helmed by Tommy Richman (yes, that Tommy Richman of "Million Dollar Baby" fame), alongside Dpat, Jonah Roy, NDK and 1stFrom92. Richman is one of Faiyaz's own signings to ISO Supremacy in partnership with PULSE Records. Along with producing for his boss, Richman opened for him on tour and appeared on "Upset" from Larger Than Life. Their workflow is refreshingly simple: Richman plays beats, Brent nods, and songs are created accordingly.
• Faiyaz recorded "Have To" for his third album, Icon. Work began in 2025, with a September 19 release date penciled in. Faiyaz pulled the plug the night before launch - scrapping the planned lead single and video - and texted through "Have To" instead. New single, new direction.
  
  He framed the pivot as intentional reinvention: elevation "sonically, visually, and personally." Faiyaz described "Have To" as stripping things down. "I wanted to... get honest, to create a space where vulnerability meets confidence," he said. "It's about embracing who I am now, without compromise, and sharing that journey with people who've been riding with me since day one."
• The gamble paid off. "Have To" topped Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart, marking his first #1 as a lead artist on that format. Not bad for a last-minute reroute.
• Faiyaz hasn't tied the song to a specific partner. In interviews around Icon, he spoke broadly of distance, vulnerability and evolving relationships, but didn't name names. "Have To" stands as one of the album's clearest declarations of steady love: Faiyaz may be airborne, overbooked and chronically in transit, but the message is simple. No matter the itinerary, she won't have to feel alone.
• The self-directed video drives the point home; or at least toward it at cruising altitude. Shot on a private jet during an 8.5-hour flight, it shows Faiyaz recording music, lounging, and texting his boo. Sped-up footage underscores the grind; captions and intro audio nod to the delayed album rollout.