Queen Latifah Reveals the ‘Living Single’ Theme Song We Almost Got

Before Living Single became one of the most beloved sitcoms of the ’90s, it almost had a very different sound. Queen Latifah—who starred as magazine publisher Khadijah James—recently revealed that the show’s theme song went through a total transformation before landing on the catchy version we know today.

In a new episode of the ReLiving Single, Latifah told her former co-stars Erika Alexander and Kim Coles that she actually made two theme songs for the show. “Obviously I come from music, and this is my show, in my mind. I’m like, ‘I gotta do this theme song.’ These theme songs are, like, what resonate in your minds,” she said.

The show was originally called My Girls, and that name inspired the first theme. “I did a whole theme song for the original name of the show, My Girls, which was totally different, completely different, but very soulful, just vibe-y, and I like to sing and rap and mix it all together,” Latifah recalled.

But then, the title changed to Living Single, and so did the music. “That was another reason I was arguing in that office,” she admitted with a laugh. Still, she took the challenge in stride and, as she put it, “had to take it back to the lab.”

Queen Latifah wanted the new song to match the show’s spirit. “I was just thinking about Living Single. I’m thinking about what we’re doing. What is it like, these four girls doing their thing?” she said.

To bring it all together, she teamed up with rapper and producer Def Jef. “He did the beat on the machine for me and then I wrote the rhyme and chopped up ‘Check, check, check out,’” she explained.

That collaboration helped her shape a sound that blended hip-hop energy with soul and even a hint of jazz. “So, it was a mixture of his hip-hop beat with these beautiful notes and a little bit of jazz at the end that was perfect,” Latifah said.

Even the chorus evolved as she worked. “We are living (Ooh) / Single (Hey),” she remembered singing—but it started out longer. “Yes, we’re living the single life, yeah,” was one of the early lines she heard in her head. The mix of melody and rhythm reflected both her musical roots and the show’s celebration of independent women.

When Living Single aired on Fox from 1993 to 1998, it became a cultural landmark, showing friendship, love, and career ups and downs through the lens of four Black women in New York. Latifah’s theme song captured that joy and confidence in just a few unforgettable lines.

Alongside Latifah’s Khadijah, Erika Alexander played the sharp-tongued lawyer Maxine, and Kim Coles starred as the lovable aspiring actress Synclaire. Together, their world—and that theme—still echoes in pop culture.

All these years later, it’s hard to imagine Living Single without its signature opening tune. But as Queen Latifah reminds us, even a classic sometimes starts with a remix.