I (Taeyeon song)

"I" is a Korean song recorded by South Korean singer Kim Tae-yeon (better known by her mononym Taeyeon) featuring Verbal Jint, taken from Taeyeon's debut EP of the same name. It was written by herself, Mafly, and Verbal Jint, 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.

"I"
Single by Taeyeon featuring Verbal Jint
from the album I
ReleasedOctober 7, 2015 (2015-10-07)
GenrePop rock
Length3:26
LabelSM Entertainment
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Taeyeon singles chronology
"Scars Deeper than Love"
(2015)		 "I"
(2015)		 "Rain"
(2016)
Audio sample
"I"
  • file
  • help

Musically, "I" is a pop rock song that, according to Jeff Benjamin from Billboard magazine, bears resemblance to songs by American singer Taylor Swift. Upon its release, "I" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, 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, and M Countdown.

Background and release

South Korean singer Kim Tae-yeon (better known by her mononym Taeyeon) is a member and the leader of popular girl group Girls' Generation.[1] She has been widely recognized as a talented vocalist, yet had never ventured to record her official solo album until 2015.[2] Taeyeon's vocal abilities are showcased on tracks she recorded for Korean films and televisions, including "If" (Hong Gil Dong, 2008),[3] "I Love You" (Athena: Goddess of War, 2010),[4] and "Closer" (To the Beautiful You, 2012).[5] In April 2015, Taeyeon is featured on labelmate Amber's song "Shake That Brass" for her debut extended play Beautiful, which generated much attention from the public.[6]

On September 10, 2015, S.M. Entertainment revealed that Taeyeon was working on her then-upcoming debut solo album without ensuring the exact release date.[7] On October 7, Taeyeon's debut extended play I was officially released by S.M. Entertainment.[8] The EP received generally favorable reviews from music critics and was a commercial success in South Korea, peaking at number two on the Gaon Album Chart.[9][10] The title track, "I", was released digitally in conjunction with the release of the EP as its lead single.[11] The song was sent to Korean Broadcasting System's "K-Pop Connection" radio on October 9.[12]

Composition

"I" is a pop rock song that was compared to Taylor Swift's Red album opening track "State of Grace" by Jeff Benjamin from Billboard.[13] The lyrics of the song was written in an autobiographical narrative. It intended to 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.[14][15][16][17]

Music video

The music video was filmed in Auckland, New Zealand 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.[14][18][19]

Commercial performance

In the US, the song is her best-selling single with 15,000 downloads sold.[20]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. It was named the 2nd and 15th best K-pop song of 2015 by US magazine Billboard and British magazine Dazed, respectively.[21][22] It ranked #58 on Billboard's 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s.[23]

Year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015 2 [24]
Dazed The top 20 K-Pop tracks of 2015 15 [25]
Decade-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List 58 [23]

Charts

Sales
Region Sales
South Korea[30] 2,500,000
United States[20] 15,000

Accolades
Music program awards
Program Network Date Ref.
Show Champion MBC M October 14, 2015 [31]
M Countdown Mnet October 15, 2015 [32]
October 22, 2015
October 29, 2015
Music Bank KBS October 16, 2015 [33]
October 23, 2015
October 30, 2015 [34]
Show! Music Core MBC October 24, 2015 [35]
Inkigayo SBS October 18, 2015 [36]
October 25, 2015
November 22, 2015

References
  1. Benjamin, Jeff (March 16, 2013). "Girls' Generation Leader Tae Yeon Eyes Solo Success With 'And One'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  2. Benjamin, Jeff (April 27, 2015). "7 Artists Who Should Really Go Solo". Fuse. The Madison Square Garden Company. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  3. "SNSD Member Taeyeon, 'If'" (in Korean). My Daily. March 3, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008.
  4. "Taeyeon 'I Love You' for 'Athena' OST" (in Korean). Newsen. December 14, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  5. "Taeyeon Records Track for 'To the Beautiful You' OST" (in Korean). Osen. September 4, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  6. Jeon Su Mi (February 6, 2015). "f(x)′s Amber Announces ′Shake that Brass′ as Title Song Feat. SNSD′s Taeyeon". CJ E&M. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  7. Kang Hee Jung (September 10, 2015). "SM Reveals SNSD′s Taeyeon is Working on a Solo Album". CJ E&M. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  8. "Taeyeon 'I' The 1st Mini Album" (in Korean). Melon. LOEN Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  9. Chin, Chester (October 26, 2015). "Review: I by Taeyeon". The Star. Star Media Group. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  10. "Gaon Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original (To view the chart position, select the date 2015.10.04 ~ 2015.10.10) on March 26, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  11. "Taeyeon drops full track of solo album". The Korea Herald. Herald Media Inc. October 7, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  12. "KBS Radio Playlist". KBS Radio. Korean Broadcasting System. October 9, 2015. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016.
  13. "Girls' Generation's Taeyeon Is Its First Member to Go Solo & First to Hit No. 1". October 14, 2015.
  14. "Pops in Seoul－Tae－yeon(태연) _ I" (Video upload). Arirang K-pop on YouTube. Google Inc. October 19, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  15. "Yu Huiyeol's Sketchbook 유희열의 스케치북: Taeyeon, Kim Johan, Winner (2016.03.04)" (Video upload). Korean Broadcasting System on YouTube. Google Inc. March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  16. "dailytaeng9cam 태연, 써니의 ′라디오 게스트′ 출연 151031 EP.2" (Video upload). OnStyle on YouTube. Google Inc. October 30, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  18. "태연, 신곡 'i' MV에 훈훈한 친오빠 깜짝 등장". Ilgan Sports. DramaHouse & J Content Hub Co.,Ltd. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  19. "South Korean pop star wows fans with music video shot in New Zealand". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax New Zealand Limited/Fairfax Media. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  20. "Taeyeon Earns 15th Top 10 on World Digital Song Sales With 'Happy'". billboard.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  21. Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (December 30, 2015). "The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  22. Gasby, Taylor. "The top 20 K-pop tracks of 2015". Dazed. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  23. "The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List". Billboard. November 25, 2019.
  24. "The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015: BIGBANG, Taeyeon, GOT7, BTS, SHINee, 4Minute & More". Billboard. 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  25. Dazed (2015-11-30). "The top 20 K-Pop tracks of 2015". Dazed. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  26. "Gaon Digital Chart: Week 42, 2015" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  27. "Gaon Digital Chart: October, 2015" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  28. "2015 Gaon Year End Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
  29. "Digital Chart of 2016" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017.
  30. "GAON′s 관찰노트". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  31. Taeyeon takes her first trophy for 'I' on 'Show Champion'!
  32. Taeyeon wins #1 + Performances from October 15th 'M! Countdown'!
  33. Taeyeon wins #1 + Performances from October 16th 'Music Bank' Sky Festival special!
  34. Taeyeon wins #1 + Performances from October 30th 'Music Bank'!
  35. Taeyeon wins #1 + Performances from October 24th 'Show! Music Core'!
  36. Taeyeon wins #1 on SBS' 'Inkigayo' + performances by BTOB, Kyuhyun, Park Bo Ram & more
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