"I" is the debut single by South Korean singer

Kim Tae-yeon Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one ...

(better known by her mononym Taeyeon) featuring

Verbal Jint Kim Jin-tae (Hangul: 김진태; born December 19, 1980), better known by his stage name Verbal Jint (Hangul: 버벌진트), is a South Korean rapper, record producer and musician who is known for his groundbreaking innovations in Korean hip hop ...

, taken from Taeyeon's debut EP of the same name. It was written by herself, Mafly, and

, and produced by Myah Marie Langston, Bennett Armstrong, Justin T. Armstrong, Cosmopolitan Douglas, David Quinones, Jon Asher, and Ryan S. Jhun. It was released digitally on October 7, 2015, in conjunction with the release of the EP, and was released on Korean Broadcasting System's "K-Pop Connection" radio on October 9. Musically, "I" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

song that, according to Jeff Benjamin from '' Billboard'' magazine, bears resemblance to songs by American singer

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

. Upon its release, "I" received generally favorable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who praised its musical styles and Taeyeon's vocals. The single peaked atop the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart and has since sold over 2.5 million digital copies as of October 2018. To promote the song and the EP, Taeyeon made several appearances on music programs including '' Inkigayo'', ''

Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...

'', and '' M Countdown''.

Background and release

South Korean singer

(better known by her mononym Taeyeon) is a member and the leader of popular girl group Girls' Generation. She has been widely recognized as a talented vocalist, yet had never ventured to record her official solo album until 2015. Taeyeon's vocal abilities are showcased on tracks she recorded for Korean films and televisions, including "If" ('' Hong Gil Dong'', 2008), " I Love You" ('' Athena: Goddess of War'', 2010), and "Closer" (''

To the Beautiful You ''To the Beautiful You'' () is a 2012 South Korean television drama series starring Sulli, Choi Min-ho, and Lee Hyun-woo. It aired on SBS from 15 August to 4 October 2012 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 ( KST) for 16 episodes. It is base ...

'', 2012). In April 2015, Taeyeon is featured on labelmate

Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...

's song "Shake That Brass" for her debut extended play ''

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

'', which generated much attention from the public. On September 10, 2015,

S.M. Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...

revealed that Taeyeon was working on her then-upcoming debut solo album without ensuring the exact release date. On October 7, Taeyeon's debut extended play '' I'' was officially released by S.M. Entertainment. The EP received generally favorable reviews from

and was a commercial success in South Korea, peaking at number two on the Gaon Album Chart. The title track, "I", was released digitally in conjunction with the release of the EP as its lead single. The song was sent to Korean Broadcasting System's "K-Pop Connection" radio on October 9.

Composition

"I" is a

song that was compared to

's ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'' album opening track " State of Grace" by Jeff Benjamin from ''Billboard''. The lyrics of the song were written from an autobiographical narrative perspective. The lyrics speak from Taeyeon's point of view on being a celebrity and, in the singer's own words, "about being yourself in a freer way, while moving on from hard and frustrating times". The singer has also said that she wanted the song to express a "Music is my life" feeling.

Music video

The music video was filmed in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and employed nature scenery as the backdrop. It includes sweeping landscapes juxtaposed with city scenes and tells the story of a young woman "in search of her true identity". Taeyeon's older brother makes a cameo in the video as a patron of The Portland Public House bar in Kingsland suburb where she works.

Reception

The song received positive reviews from

. It was named the 2nd and 15th best K-pop song of 2015 by US magazine ''Billboard'' and British magazine ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a bi-monthly British style magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Dazed is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for producing ...

'', respectively. It ranked #58 on Billboard's 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s. Commercially, the song is her best-selling single in the United States with digital sales totaling 15,000 units.

Accolades

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Sales

Release history

References

External links

* {{authority control 2015 songs 2015 debut singles Taeyeon songs Korean-language songs Songs written by David Quinones Songs written by Jon Asher SM Entertainment singles Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles Pop rock songs