Featuring vocals from Jamaican American reggae rapper Laza Morgan, it was written by Kristian Lundin, Ronan Dunne, Eddy Grant, Savan Kotecha, Julian Bunetta, and RedOne.

The song came about after studio sessions booked with RedOne produced a number of new records that were going to be used for a re-release of Overcome or Burke's second album.

"[3] "Start Without You" is an uptempo R&B song which draws from reggae fusion and dancehall influences,[5][6] with a length of three minutes and thirty-three seconds, penned by RedOne, Bilal Hajji, Savan Kotecha, and Julian Bunetta.

"[5] He further complimented its dancefloor appeal, saying, "it's enough to have K.Ro fearing for her 'Commander' title," while preferring the subsequent release of uptempo songs, stating, "At this rate, Burkey's big mobiles-in-the-air moment will just have to wait.

"[7] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Chart Blog said called the song "deliriously happy, to the point of being simple-minded, and conjures up instant images of warmth and sunshiney freedom in everyone that hears it."

McAlpine also pointed out her label's wise decision to release it right at the ending of summer, with fans pining for more of the vacation season and waiting until Christmas.

"[14] Preferring "Bad Boys" to the clip, saying that the demin and motorbike were gone, Ryan Love of Digital Spy said the video must have had a tighter budget, and that the half-naked men doing gymnastics brought a whole new meaning to the word "camptastic.

"[15] Burke has performed the song notably many times, including at outdoor venues at T4 on the Beach, 95.8 Capital FM's Summertime Ball, and the Midlands Music Festival, which all took place during the summer of 2010.