I (Taeyeon song)

"I" is the debut single 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. The song lyrics was written by Taeyeon herself, Mafly, and Verbal Jint, while the music was composed and arranged 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
Released	October 7, 2015 (2015-10-07)
Studio	SM Blue Ocean Studio
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:26
Label	SM
Composer(s)	Myah Marie Langston Bennett Armstrong Justin T. Armstrong Cosmopolitan Douglas David Quinones Jon Asher Ryan S. Jhun
Lyricist(s)	Taeyeon Mafly Verbal Jint
Taeyeon singles chronology
"Scars Deeper than Love" (2015) "I" (2015) "Rain" (2016)
Verbal Jint singles chronology
"My Type 2" (2015) "I" (2015) "If The World Is Perfect" (2015)

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, SM 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 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.^{[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]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Music Y	[20]
IZM	[21]

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.^[22][23] It ranked #58 on Billboard's 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s.^[24] Commercially, the song is her best-selling single in the United States with digital sales totaling 15,000 units.^[25]

Accolades

Listicles for "I"

Critic/Publication	List	Ranking	Ref.
Billboard	The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015	2	[26]
	The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List	58	[24]
Dazed	The top 20 K-Pop tracks of 2015	15	[27]
Melon	Top 100 K-pop Songs of All Time	79	[28]

Music program awards

Program	Date	Ref.
Show Champion	October 14, 2015	[29]
M Countdown	October 15, 2015	[30]
	October 22, 2015
	October 29, 2015
Music Bank	October 16, 2015	[31]
	October 23, 2015
	October 30, 2015
Show! Music Core	October 24, 2015	[32]
Inkigayo	October 18, 2015	[33]
	October 25, 2015	[29]
	November 22, 2015	[34]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position South Korea (Gaon)[35] 1 Monthly charts Chart (2015) Peak position South Korea (Gaon)[36] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position South Korea (Gaon)[37] 39 Chart (2016) Position South Korea (Gaon)[38] 99

Sales

Region	Sales amount
South Korea (digital download)[39]	2,500,000
South Korea (streaming)[40]	100,000,000
United States[25]	15,000

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Worldwide	October 7, 2015	Digital download streaming	SM Entertainment	[11]

Credits

Credits are adapted from the CD liner notes of I.^[41]

Studio

• SM Blue Ocean Studio – recording, mixing, digital editing
• MonoTree Studio – recording, additional vocal editing
• Sterling Sound – mastering

Personnel

• SM Entertainment – executive producer
• Lee Soo-man – producer
• Taeyeon – lyrics, vocals, background vocals
• Verbal Jint – featuring vocals, lyrics
• Mafly – lyrics
• Myah Marie Langston – composition, arrangement
• Bennett Armstrong – composition, arrangement
• Justin T. Armstrong – composition, arrangement
• Cosmopolitan Douglas – composition, arrangement
• David Quinones – composition, arrangement
• Jon Asher – composition, arrangement
• Ryan S. Jhun – composition, arrangement
• Lee Joo-myung – recording, background vocals
• G-high – vocal directing, Pro Tools operating, additional vocal editing
• Kim Cheol-sun – recording, mixing, digital editing
• Tom Coyne – mastering

See also

• List of Inkigayo Chart winners (2015)
• List of M Countdown Chart winners (2015)
• List of Music Bank Chart winners (2015)