Case of the Ex

"Case of the Ex" (sometimes subtitled "Whatcha Gonna Do") is a song performed by American singer Mýa. It was written and composed by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart (with his songwriting partners Traci Hale and Thabiso "Tab" Nkhereanyne) for Mýa's sophomore studio record, Fear of Flying (2000). The up-tempo pop-R&B track was inspired by a relationship Hale was going through at the time. It was released on July 11, 2000, as the second single from the album, following "The Best of Me" (featuring Jadakiss).

The song received mixed to positive reviews from contemporary music critics and became Mýa's breakthrough hit, both stateside and internationally. "Case of the Ex" became a top-five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of December 2, 2000, peaking and spending three consecutive weeks at number two. Internationally, the single topped the Australian ARIA Singles Chart for two consecutive weeks in March 2001 and peaked at number three in the United Kingdom.

The accompanying music video for the single was directed by Diane Martel and choreographed by Tina Landon. The video, filmed in the Mojave Desert, featured the singer and her backup dancers performing with large poles as props, and dancing in the sand. The visuals drew comparisons to Janet Jackson's "You Want This" (1994) music video and Mel Gibson's 1979 film Mad Max. In addition, the video was nominated for a Washington Area Music Award for Video of the Year, while the song itself won in the Urban Contemporary Recording category in 2001.

"Case of the Ex" was composed by Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Traci Hale, and Thabiso "Tab" Nkhereanyne in late 1999. Initially, Mýa was working at the Redzone Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, when she heard an early instrumental of the song through the walls from the room next door. She stepped out of her session and was introduced to Stewart in the next studio. Originally a rap song, Stewart rearranged the track to make it fit Mýa's persona.

Speaking of its creation, Stewart said: "We got together to write a song specifically for Mýa. We kicked around some subjects which Mýa could potentially sing. We wanted to create a lyric theme that would keep her young, yet would show that she was growing up." It was Hale who came up with the lyric idea, which was inspired by a relationship she was going through at the time and revolved around "a strong woman who won't tolerate her man returning to his ex-girlfriend." While Tab and Hale contributed most of the lyrics, Stewart wrote the music and played all of the tracks, with Hale singing on the original demo."

The initial demo also featured the percussive, keyboard hook which would become the song's musical trademark. "I followed an old philosophy, which is to try to catch the listener's attention," explained Stewart. "I wanted to make a statement with that hook, creating a special sound that people would react to and remember. It was like a loud horn blast, which was derived from a sampled sound, and then enhanced with my K-25 keyboard." Soon after completing the demo, Stewart played the song for Mýa, and she "immediately loved it." The following day, she recorded her vocals at Stewart's studio for the master version.

"Case of the Ex" garnered mixed to positive reviews. Billboard magazine compared the song to Destiny's Child's "Jumpin', Jumpin'", and added: "With its quick-programmed drum track [...] Mýa's 'Case of the Ex' is on the right track. Production-wise, the song used some computer tricks to play with Mýa's vocals. [It] is set to be a hot track on radio and in the clubs all summer long." Music Week said the song was "sultry R&B" and that it "should help lift sales of her album Fear of Flying." Jacqueline Springer of NME gave the song seven out of ten stars, writing: "The stuttering arrangement of the original is cool and suits Mýa's brooding mood, but after a while it simply sits in the wind—there's no real build into a bassline leaving the track to run along a continuous pop/R&B vibe." Writing for Yahoo! Music UK, Gary Crossing described "Case of the Ex" as a smooth and sassy if somewhat formulaic slice of R&B.

"Case of the Ex" was featured on The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop end of the year critics list.