"Free to Be Me" was released as the second single from American

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

singer

Francesca Battistelli Francesca Battistelli (born May 18, 1985) is an American Christian singer and songwriter. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, ''Just a Breath'', in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, '' M ...

's major label debut album, '' My Paper Heart'', in January 2009. The song was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in the U.S. by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on April 21, 2014.

Background

"Free to Be Me" was released in January 2009, although there has not been a specified date. The song has been compared to the works of fellow

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

artist

Sarah Kelly Sarah Jean Kelly Work ID No. 493703552 (born September 13, 1976) is an American contemporary Christian musician from Rockford, Illinois. She was signed to Gotee Records, a Christian label under EMI. Kelly is a two time Grammy Award nominee fo ...

. It features a background of "thick"

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, bass,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed ...

. Along with being featured on '' My Paper Heart'', it has been featured on '' WOW Hits 2010'', ''

Now That's What I Call Faith ''Now That's What I Call Faith!'' was released on March 23, 2010. Track listing Charts References 2010 compilation albums Faith {{2010s-compilation-album-stub ...

'', '' WOW Number 1s: Yellow'', and ''Wow: Six Decades of Hits''.

Music Video

The official music video for "Free to Be Me" was released on December 16, 2009.

Critical reception

John Fisher o
''Cross Rhythms''
said, "This young lady is not afraid to look at life's highs and lows from a very personal angle." Katie R. o
''Teen Ink''
stated that it was "easy to listen to and extremely uplifting". Rich Smith o
''Louder Than The Music''
called it a "stand out track".

Awards

The song was nominated for three

Dove Awards A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Award ...

: "Song of the Year", "Short Form Music Video of the Year", and "Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year" at the

41st GMA Dove Awards The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 21, 2010 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2009. The show was held at The Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Bart Millard. Nomin ...

, and won an award under the "Short Form Music Video of the Year" category.

Personnel

* Francesca Battistelli – vocals * Tim Lauer – keyboards * Aaron Shannon – additional programming * Mike Payne – guitars * Tony Lucido – bass * Scott Williamson – drums

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Francesca Battistelli 2008 singles Song recordings produced by Ian Eskelin Francesca Battistelli songs Songs written by Francesca Battistelli