"So Am I" is a song by American singer

Ava Max Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koçi; February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max, is an American singer and songwriter. She signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, through which she released her breakthrough single "Sweet but Psycho" in ...

, released on March 7, 2019, through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

as the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from her debut studio album, '' Heaven & Hell'' (2020). The song was written by Max,

Charlie Puth Charles Otto Puth Jr. (; born December 2, 1991) is an American singer and songwriter. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his song videos uploaded to YouTube. Puth initially signed with the record label eleveneleven after pe ...

, Maria Jane Smith,

Victor Thell The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckley, and the producer

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written for Dr. Luke, Katy Perry, Becky G, Ava Max, Nicki Minaj, R. City, The Weeknd, Kesha, Ciar ...

. It is an

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

song which discusses the importance of

self-love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, eg ...

, being an outcast and not fitting into society. A remixed version of the song featuring South Korean

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

NCT 127 NCT 127 () is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. The current lineup consists of nine active members: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo ...

was released on July 3, 2019, with additional

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

verses performed in English and Korean. Upon release, "So Am I" peaked at number 13 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 ...

, and at number 14 on the Australian

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. It also peaked at number five on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. The song was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

triple platinum in Poland, double platinum in Australia, and received platinum certifications in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, and Switzerland. The

Isaac Rentz Isaac Rentz (born August 21, 1982) is an American feature film, music video, and commercial director. Biography Rentz was born in Japan, and was raised in Tempe, Arizona. He was signed to Draw Pictures for UK and US music video representati ...

-directed

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released on March 7, 2019, which depicts Max performing in a school with students; the concept was chosen by Max to represent the theme of bullying.

Background

Max teased the release of "So Am I" on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

for several weeks, encouraging fans to share pictures of themselves to "show the world what makes you different" using the hashtag #SoAmI. The song was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

on March 7, 2019, and on contemporary radio stations in the United States on June 25, 2019. It was co-written by Max,

, Maria Jane Smith,

, Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckley, and the producer

. A remix featuring South Korean

was announced by Max on July 2, 2019 with the official cover art, which resembled a high school

yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually. A yearbook often ...

. It was released on July 3, 2019.

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

and

Taeyong Lee Tae-yong (; born July 1, 1995), known mononymously as Taeyong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is a member and leader of South Korean boy band NCT under SM Entertainment, having debuted in the group's first sub- ...

perform new life-affirming

verses in English and Korean halfway through the song before Jaehyun accompanies Max during the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. Both the former and Doyoung also perform

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

throughout the remix.

Composition

"So Am I" is an

song, described as an "inspirational, self-acceptance anthem". According to the song's

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

that was published on Musicnotes.com, it is set in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

of common time, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 130 beats per minute, while composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

G-flat major G-flat major (or the key of G-flat) is a major scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has six flats. Its relative minor is E-flat minor (or enharmonically D-sharp minor), and its parallel mi ...

. Max's voice on the track ranges from the low note of G₃ to the high note of E₅, while the song is constructed in

verse–chorus form Verse–chorus form is a musical form going back to the 1840s, in such songs as "Oh! Susanna", "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", and many others. It became passé in the early 1900s, with advent of the AABA (with verse) form in the Tin ...

. The song was recorded in pieces over several days. According to Max, the lyrics are about "loving yourself, being different, being an outcast and not fitting in the format that society wants to put us in".

Critical reception

Michael Silva of ''

'' described the song as a "bouncy, pop-heavy anthem" with lyrics about "navigating your adolescent years". Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal described Max's vocals as "crisp, soothing and expressive" and praised the song's production which has "infectious hooks and a catchy beat to it that will inspire listeners to get up and dance along". He concluded by comparing the song's "message of hope and optimism" to her 2018 song " Sweet but Psycho". Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Michael Cragg described "So Am I" as an "I'm weird me" outcast anthem, while Helena Wadia of ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' criticized the song as "lack ngnuance", despite being "a rousing anthem after a few listens". Writing about the song's remix, Madeline Roth of

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

praised the guest appearance of NCT 127, stating that "they lend more empowering, feel-good vibes with a fresh verse about appreciating someone who owns their originality".

Commercial performance

"So Am I" debuted on the

at number 50 on the chart issued March 21, 2019. The song peaked at number 13 on April 26, 2019, after spending 16 weeks on the chart. It was eventually certified platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) on January 1, 2021, for selling 600,000 equivalent units in sales. The track topped the Polish Airplay Top 100 chart, where it received a triple platinum certification on January 13, 2021. The song peaked at number two in Norway, where it charted for 18 weeks. "So Am I" charted at number five in Scotland, spending 16 total weeks on the chart. In Finland, the song bowed at number eight, while it was certified platinum in Switzerland and Denmark, bowing in the top 20 in both countries. "So Am I" reached number five on the US

issue dated July 6, 2019, before receiving a platinum certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America 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 ...

(RIAA) on July 6, 2022, for selling 1,000,000 equivalent units in the US. In Canada, it received a platinum certification by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

(MC) for selling 80,000 equivalent sales units. In Australia, "So Am I" debuted at number 29 on the

on April 7, 2019. The song peaked at number 14 on the chart dated May 5, 2019, and spent 13 weeks on the chart. It was certified double platinum by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) for selling over 140,000 units in Australia.

Music video

Background and reception

The

-directed music video was simultaneously released with the song and was uploaded on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on March 7, 2019. Max described the video's setting: "I actually filmed it in a school because of the bullying that goes on. It starts in school. That’s where a lot of people get hurt from it all. I wanted the storyline to focus on all the outcasts and all that diversity to show that we are all one in unity. It’s okay to be different. In general, I think society wants to put us in a format and I don’t think we should be fitting into it. We should do our own thing." She also acknowledged that she was bullied during the seventh grade, consequently retaliating against the bully and was kicked out. Issei Honke of ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine ''Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence from ''Bi ...

'' compared it to the music video of

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

' 1998 song " ...Baby One More Time", which he stated that both artists showcased their personality while dancing on a school stage in uniform. As of February 2023, the music video has over 250 million views on YouTube. A second fanmade music video was also released on June 12, 2019, which consisted of 15 German fans who were personally selected by Max from the #SoAmIFanVideo challenge. The music video was filmed inside YouTube Space Berlin.

Synopsis

The video begins with Max walking down a school corridor, wearing a black & red striped shirt, along with a black dress. As she opens a locker, she begins singing while beginning to walk down the hallway, while students begin entering their designated classrooms. She performs a dance alongside two girls wearing

Catholic school uniform A Catholic school uniform in North America typically consists of a pleated and plaid skirt or jumper (a sleeveless dress), Mary Jane or saddle shoes, a button-down shirt, and a sweater for girls, while boys' uniforms consist of a button-down sh ...

, before performing a choreographed dance routine in the playground with 6 other school students while wearing a white shirt. Various shots of students are interspersed throughout the routine. Max is then shown sitting on top of the teacher's desk, as the word 'Detention' is written on the blackboard. The students stare at each other while she dances around them. In the next segment, Max performs a dance in a black blazer on top of a red shirt inside a football stadium with multiple students. She is then seen wearing red

Beats by Dre Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exe ...

headphones while standing next to a wall. The final segment shows Max walking onto the field with the students, as they socialize with each other while sitting down. She performs a

belt Belt may refer to: Apparel * Belt (clothing), a leather or fabric band worn around the waist * Championship belt, a type of trophy used primarily in combat sports * Colored belts, such as a black belt or red belt, worn by martial arts practit ...

on the field, as the students stand in a horizontal line, holding up their right hand under their mouth with the words 'So Am I' written in black ink. At the end of the line, Max places her right hand over her forehead and she falls backwards.

Live performances

Max performed "So Am I" in a medley with "Sweet but Psycho" on

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

breakfast television Breakfast television (Europe, Canada, and Australia) or morning show (United States) is a type of news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts live in the morning (typically scheduled between 5:00 and 10:00a.m., or if it is a ...

show ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

'' on April 29, 2019, which was her debut televised performance in Australia. She additionally performed the song in a medley with "Sweet but Psycho" and "

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

" (2019) at Wango Tango on June 1, 2019. Her attire consisted of a Zemeta purple and green long-sleeved outfit, accompanied with black leather pants, silver

Steve Madden Steven Madden (born March 23, 1958) is an American fashion designer and businessman. He is the founder and former CEO of Steve Madden, Ltd., a publicly traded company. Life and career Madden was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, the son of a Jewis ...

stiletto boots, and an iridescent Avec Les Filles trenchcoat. Max appeared on the sixth season finale of ''

The Voice van Vlaanderen ''The Voice van Vlaanderen'' (; English-Dutch for ''The Voice of Flanders'') is a Belgian reality singing competition for the Flemish part of Belgium. It is part of the franchise that started in the Netherlands as ''The Voice of Holland''. It ...

'' to perform "So Am I" in a medley with "Sweet but Psycho" on May 17, 2019. During the 2019

Summertime Ball Capital's Summertime Ball is a mini-festival in London, held on either first or second Saturday or Sunday of June by the radio station Capital. The first ball was at Emirates Stadium in 2009, and it has since been held at Wembley Stadium. The ...

hosted by Capital FM on June 8, she performed "So Am I" in a medley with "Sweet but Psycho". On August 5, 2019, Max performed the song on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'' while wearing a matching blue PVC pair consisting of a trench coat and high-waist pants. She also sported a silver crop top and platform shoes, the latter which had a black laces in the front and three buckle straps near the calves. Max performed "So Am I" at the 2019

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Li ...

on December 7, which was included in a medley with "Sweet but Psycho" and "

Torn Torn may refer to: Film and television * ''Torn'' (2009 film), an American film by Richard Johnson * ''Torn'' (2013 American film), directed Jeremiah Birnbaum * ''Torn'' (2013 Nigerian film), directed by Moses Inwang * ''Torn'' (TV series), a ...

" (2019), performing with other artists such as

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint ...

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...

, Regard and

Mabel Mabel is an English female given name derived from the Latin ''amabilis'', "lovable, dear".Reclams Namensbuch, 1987, History Amabilis of Riom (died 475) was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering th ...

Track listing

Digital download /

# "So Am I" 3:04 Digital download / streaming – NCT 127 remix # "So Am I" (NCT 127 Remix) 3:05 Digital download / streaming – Majestic remix # "So Am I" (Majestic Remix) 4:21 Digital download / streaming –

Deepend Falco van den Aker, professionally known as Deepend is a Dutch DJ/producer. He gained international recognition after his remix of Matt Simons' " Catch & Release" peaked at number one in five countries and the European Airplay charts. The DJ racke ...

remix # "So Am I" (Deepend Remix) 2:42 Digital download / streaming – Jengi remix # "So Am I" (Jengi Remix) 2:52 Digital download / streaming – Toby Green remix # "So Am I" (Toby Green Remix) 2:46 Digital download / streaming – Steve Void remix # "So Am I" (Steve Void Remix) 3:07 Digital download / streaming – Martin Jensen remix # "So Am I" (Martin Jensen Remix) 3:24 Digital download / streaming –

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

remix # "So Am I" (Zane Lowe Remix) 3:58

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

# "So Am I" 3:03 # " Sweet but Psycho" 3: 07

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. * Amanda Ava Koci vocals, songwriting * Henry Walter songwriting, production, programming, instruments * Maria Jane Smith songwriting * Victor Thell songwriting * Martin Sue songwriting * Gigi Grombacher songwriting * Roland Spreckley songwriting * Itai Schwartz engineering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

{{NCT (band) 2019 singles 2019 songs Atlantic Records singles Ava Max songs Body image in popular culture Number-one singles in Poland Songs written by Cirkut (record producer) NCT 127 songs Songs about bullying Songs written by Charlie Puth Song recordings produced by Cirkut (record producer) Songs written by Ava Max