I Am Woman (Jordin Sparks song)
Encyclopedia
"I Am Woman" is a song performed by American recording artist Jordin Sparks
, taken from her upcoming third studio album. The up-tempo song was written by Ali Pierre Gaschani, Dean Josiah and Ryan Tedder
, who also produced the track. "I Am Woman" premiered online via AOL Music on May 5, 2011, and was later officially released in the United States on May 10, 2011. The song's lyrics contain a message towards female empowerment, which talks about different aspects of the lives of women.
"I Am Woman" received a positive reception from most music critics, who complimented its differences with any of Sparks' previous singles, as well as noting its similarities to the sounds of American R&B singer Beyoncé
.
, who also produced the track. "I Am Woman" was made available for download
on iTunes Store
s worldwide on May 6, 2011, and later in the United States on May 10, 2011.
On speaking about the song, Sparks said "I Am Woman is a song about different aspects of the lives of women. It could be a mother, a performer, a woman working in a corporate space — it's all about what we go through as women and how our lives are so crazy. Walk a mile in my shoes, or in my stilettos, if you dare and see what happens. It's all about the strengths that a woman has: how we can multitask and carry so much, yet still always be on point when we need to be and on cue when we need to be. It's all about the amazingness of a woman."
wrote "This somewhat experimental, hand-clapping, high energy woman-power track is the most bangin' thing we've heard from Jordin, well, maybe ever. It makes us want to strap on our stilettos and wobble-strut all over the dancefloor!." Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio Blog said the track shows a "new side" to Sparks, and added that she "sings with a feisty attitude, leaving her sweet disposition at the door." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
called it "empowering". James Dinh of MTV News
room wrote, "Sparks has taken to her music as a venue to rejoice in her coming-of-age growth and maturity".
Many critics also noted the song's similarities to the sounds of American R&B singer Beyoncé
. A writer for WPLJ
said "I Am Woman" "is a forceful dance track that's a female empowerment anthem very reminiscent of Beyoncé." Jarett Wieselman of New York Post
, described the song as a "pre-teen version" of Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)
" (2011). Gil Kaufman of MTV News
called it a "Beyoncé-like R&B jam". Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush wrote, "I Am Woman operates off a rock n' roll battery, and could very well be this year's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
", since it screams female empowerment with its bumpin' beat and lyrics that celebrate being a woman."
at number eighty-two with 33,000 downloads sold.
of American Idol
. She wore a silver metallic trench coat and black heels for the first half of the performance, and was accompanied by female back-up dancers. During the second half, Sparks removed the coat to reveal a black, body-skimming, dress, and the female dancers were replaced by male dancers. Sparks performed the song on Live With Regis and Kelly
on June 14. "I Am Woman" was performed on the thirteenth season
of Dancing with the Stars results show on November 8 by the women dancers of the show.
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
, taken from her upcoming third studio album. The up-tempo song was written by Ali Pierre Gaschani, Dean Josiah and Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, who also produced the track. "I Am Woman" premiered online via AOL Music on May 5, 2011, and was later officially released in the United States on May 10, 2011. The song's lyrics contain a message towards female empowerment, which talks about different aspects of the lives of women.
"I Am Woman" received a positive reception from most music critics, who complimented its differences with any of Sparks' previous singles, as well as noting its similarities to the sounds of American R&B singer Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
.
Background
"I Am Woman" premiered online via AOL Music on May 5, 2011. It was written by Ali Pierre Gaschani, Dean Josiah and Ryan TedderRyan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, who also produced the track. "I Am Woman" was made available for download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
s worldwide on May 6, 2011, and later in the United States on May 10, 2011.
On speaking about the song, Sparks said "I Am Woman is a song about different aspects of the lives of women. It could be a mother, a performer, a woman working in a corporate space — it's all about what we go through as women and how our lives are so crazy. Walk a mile in my shoes, or in my stilettos, if you dare and see what happens. It's all about the strengths that a woman has: how we can multitask and carry so much, yet still always be on point when we need to be and on cue when we need to be. It's all about the amazingness of a woman."
Critical reception
Following its release, "I Am Woman" was well-received by most music critics. Becky Bain of IdolatorIdolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
wrote "This somewhat experimental, hand-clapping, high energy woman-power track is the most bangin' thing we've heard from Jordin, well, maybe ever. It makes us want to strap on our stilettos and wobble-strut all over the dancefloor!." Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio Blog said the track shows a "new side" to Sparks, and added that she "sings with a feisty attitude, leaving her sweet disposition at the door." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
called it "empowering". James Dinh of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
room wrote, "Sparks has taken to her music as a venue to rejoice in her coming-of-age growth and maturity".
Many critics also noted the song's similarities to the sounds of American R&B singer Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. A writer for WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
said "I Am Woman" "is a forceful dance track that's a female empowerment anthem very reminiscent of Beyoncé." Jarett Wieselman of New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, described the song as a "pre-teen version" of Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)
Run the World (Girls)
"Run the World " is a song performed by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and produced by Switch, The-Dream, Knowles and Shea Taylor...
" (2011). Gil Kaufman of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
called it a "Beyoncé-like R&B jam". Amy Sciarretto of Pop Crush wrote, "I Am Woman operates off a rock n' roll battery, and could very well be this year's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
", since it screams female empowerment with its bumpin' beat and lyrics that celebrate being a woman."
Chart performance
For the issue dated May 19, 2011, "I Am Woman" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at number eighty-two with 33,000 downloads sold.
Music video
In May 2011, Sparks said in an interview with AOL Music that she was still on the look out for an "amazing director" to shoot the video. She also added that she would also be focusing on the choreography for the song.Live performances
On May 12, 2011, Sparks performed "I Am Woman" live for the first time on the tenth seasonAmerican Idol (season 10)
The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. She wore a silver metallic trench coat and black heels for the first half of the performance, and was accompanied by female back-up dancers. During the second half, Sparks removed the coat to reveal a black, body-skimming, dress, and the female dancers were replaced by male dancers. Sparks performed the song on Live With Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
on June 14. "I Am Woman" was performed on the thirteenth season
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 13)
Dancing with the Stars returned for its thirteenth season on September 19, 2011. Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli returned as the judges, and Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke Charvet returned as hosts. Twelve couples competed in this season...
of Dancing with the Stars results show on November 8 by the women dancers of the show.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
82 |
Radio and release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | May 17, 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Sony Music |
| Canada | |||
| Denmark | |||
| Finland | |||
| France | |||
| Germany | |||
| Ireland | |||
| Netherlands | |||
| New Zealand | |||
| Norway | |||
| Portugal | |||
| Sweden | |||
| United States | May 10, 2011 | Jive Records Jive Records Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African... |
|
| May 24, 2011 | Mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |