"I Need a Girl" is a song by American recording artist Trey Songz. The track was written by Johntá Austin and Joshua J. Jackson, along with the song's production team, Stargate, who also produced his breakthrough hit, "Can't Help But Wait." The song served as the lead single for Songz's third studio album Ready. "I Need a Girl" received positive to mixed reviews from critics, some of which noted it as generic, and other naming it as a top track from the album. It reached fifty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The accompanying music video shot in Malibu features Songz and love interests on the beach, as they turn out to be mirages. Background In an interview with New York's Power 105.1, he said that the death of Michael Jackson inspired his latest comeback, stating, "Mike passed away and it just lit the fire in me—it made me go in the studio and do something. I’m excited." "I Need A Girl" was also featured in a 2009 episode of Lincoln Heights in which Trey Songz appears as a guest star. Composition "I Need A Girl" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad, featuring guitar riffs. According to Mark Edward Nero of About.com, the song contains familiar qualities of Songz's breakout hit "Can't Help But Wait", also produced by Stargate. The song is lyrically about finding and pleasing the right woman, through lines such as, "I don't even know your name, but I know that I'm your man and you are my girl, if I ever meet you I'm gonna give you the world, Baby please believe me when I tell you that I need a girl." The song has been described to be a mix of Usher and Justin Timberlake, and has been compared to Chris Brown's "With You." Critical reception Mark Edward Nero of About.com said that the song was "sappy" and "cliche", trying to replicate the success of "Can't Help But Wait", but "doesn't come close". Nero also commented that the song sounded insincere compared with the rawly sexual songs on the album. Ajitpaul Mangat of Tiny Mix Tapes noted the song as some of the album's generic work, stating, "with its run-of-the-mill lyrics about longing hearts, it sounds like the work of any middling R&B singer." Tyler Lewis of PopMatters said "I Need A Girl" was among the album's best songs,