[6] "We Break the Dawn" was the first solo original release by Williams that was not distinctly Gospel in style or genre, causing the song to gain much media attention online.

"[3] Meanwhile, noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul stated: "Williams' first solo pop/R&B LP 'Unexpected' is pioneered by the electro-club grooves of its melodically-soulful offshoot single 'We Break The Dawn'.

Produced by Frampton and Wilkins, it is a fairly up-tempo electro-R&B song which incorporates various other genres such as synthpop, Europop and dance-pop.

"Part 2" features Florida rapper Flo Rida – who raps in the intro and performs a verse towards the end of the song.

Ben Norman of About.com hailed the song as an "immensely catchy mid-tempo jam" that is "carefree" and "has a certain amount of memorability in the synth riff and the laid-back party lyrics".

[10] Meanwhile, Robin Carolan of Slant Magazine described Williams' "embracing" of "au courant euro-pop sounds" as "a move that works well for her", going on to state that it "boasts a chorus wrapped up in some awesome swirling synth-pop majestics" and despite doing "relatively well on the dance charts" it "deserved to cross over".

Williams appeared as a guest judge in the episode "Girl Groups" of RuPaul's Drag Race, which featured a lip-sync to the song between contestants Akashia and Tammie Brown.

In the UK, the video premiered on 4music on August 23, 2008 and reached number 34 on the TV Airplay Chart published by Music Week.