"I Am" is a song by American R&B singer

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. It was written by Blige,

Johntá Austin Johntá Austin ( ; born June 28, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, vocalist and rapper, signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He is known for collaborating with producers Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri an ...

Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Dean has also written songs for many artists, with numerous Top 10 hits, including No. 1 hits for Rihanna and Katy Perry, earning the name " ...

, Magnus Beite,

Tor Erik Hermansen Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

, Mikkel Eriksen for her ninth studio album, '' Stronger with Each Tear'' (2009), while production was helmed by Hermansen and Eriksen under their production moniker Stargate. Lyrically, the song "I Am" confidently tells one's lover nobody can treat them better than the person they are with at the present time.

Release and promotion

"I Am" was sent to urban radio in the week beginning November 10, 2009 and was released as a digital download on December 8, 2009 She performed "I Am" live for the first time at the 2009

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

on November 22, 2009. Blige also performed "I Am" on ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', A&E Television's ''

Private Sessions ''Private Sessions'' is a 2007 television series produced by the A&E Network featuring top entertainers interviewed by host Lynn Hoffman. Most guests are musicians that perform several of their songs during the hour-long episode, but actors also h ...

'', ''

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'', '' The View'', ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

'', and on the '' Late Show with David Letterman''. In the United Kingdom, the song was released as the first single from ''Stronger with Each Tear'' on March 1, 2010. Mary J Blige performed "I Am" on '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' on March 11, 2010.

Critical reception

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wrote of the song: "This song is a perfect showcase of Mary's brighter outlook in the new millennium. Looking back at all the drama and pain of the '90s – both in her music and in her personal life – it's hard not to smile hearing her newfound confidence and optimism here."

Chart performance

"I Am" debuted at number 67 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the week ending December 26, 2009. It eventually peaked at number 55, also reaching number three on the Dance Club Songs and number four on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

as well as topping the

Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

. ''Billboard'' ranked it 12th on the latter chart's 2010 year-end ranking. In the United Kingdom, "I Am" entered and peaked on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 24 on March 7, 2010. Elsewhere, it peaked at number 11 on the Japan Hot 100.

Music video

The music video for "I Am" was directed by Anthony Mandler. The video premiered via

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

on December 8, 2009.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Am (Mary J. Blige Song) 2009 singles Mary J. Blige songs Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Songs written by Mary J. Blige Songs written by Ester Dean Songs written by Johntá Austin Music videos directed by Anthony Mandler 2009 songs Geffen Records singles