I Am What I Am (Emma Muscat song)
{{Short description|2022 song by Emma Muscat}}
{{Infobox song
| name = I Am What I Am
| cover = I Am What I Am (Emma Muscat song) cover.png
| alt = The official cover for "I Am What I Am"
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Emma Muscat
| EP = I Am Emma
| language = English
| released = 14 March 2022
| genre =
| length = 3:02
| label = Warner Music Italy
| writer = {{hlist|Dino Medanhodžić|Emma Muscat|Julie Aagaard|Stine Kinck}}
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|EPfLevhLxsY|"I Am What I Am"}}}}
{{Infobox song contest entry
| embed = yes
| song = {{flagicon|Malta}} "I Am What I Am"
| year = 2022
| country = Malta
| artist = Emma Muscat
| language = English
| composer = {{hlist|Dino Medanhodžić|Emma Muscat|Julie Aagaard|Stine Kinck}}
| lyricist = {{hlist|Dino Medanhodžić|Emma Muscat|Julie Aagaard|Stine Kinck}}
| place =
| points =
| place_semi = 16th
| points_semi = 47
| prev = Je me casse
| prev_year = 2021
| prev_link = Je me casse
| next = Dance (Our Own Party)
| next_year = 2023
| next_link = Dance (Our Own Party)
}}
}}
"I Am What I Am" is a 2022 song by Maltese singer Emma Muscat. The song was released on 14 March 2022, as a replacement for Muscat's previous entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, "Out of Sight".{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} The song represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 after Muscat won Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2022, Malta's national final.
Release
The song was released on 14 March 2022, after heavy speculation that Muscat would change her song.{{Cite web |last=Diacono |first=Tim |date=2022-03-13 |title=Listen: Emma Muscat's Potential 'New Eurovision Song' Has Been Leaked |url=https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/eurovision/listen-emma-muscats-potential-new-eurovision-song-has-been-leaked/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Lovin Malta |language=en-GB}} According to the rules of the contest, the winner could send any song they wished, and could change it if they wanted to.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Malta: Emma Muscat will sing "I AM WHAT I AM" at Eurovision 2022 |url=https://wiwibloggs.com/2022/03/14/malta-emma-muscat-will-sing-i-am-what-i-am-at-eurovision-2022/270996/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=wiwibloggs |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Grace |first=Emily |date=2022-03-14 |title=🇲🇹 Malta: Emma Muscat Confirms "I Am What I Am" As New Eurovision 2022 Entry |url=https://eurovoix.com/2022/03/14/emma-muscat-new-eurovision-entry/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Eurovoix |language=en-GB}}
Swedish singer Dotter, fiancée of Dino Medanhodžić, one of the song's composers, provides backing vocals on the studio version of the song.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Rumours are true: Emma Muscat will sing "I Am What I Am" for Malta |url=https://escxtra.com/2022/03/14/rumours-are-true-emma-muscat-will-sing-i-am-what-i-am-for-malta/ |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=ESCXTRA.com |language=en-GB}}
Reception
the song was met with mixed critique by the fans, calling it pretentious and repetitive and more notably a big cliché of a girl coming from a very privileged, upper class background bringing an self-love empowerment anthem.{{Cite web|url=https://eurovisiongrapevine.com/2022/04/17/the-vine-reviews-i-am-what-i-am-for-malta/|title=The Vine reviews 'I Am What I Am' for Malta|date=April 17, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://escbubble.com/2022/04/the-public-reacts-to-malta-emma-muscat-i-am-what-i-am/|title=The Public Reacts to Malta: Emma Muscat – I Am What I Am|date=April 17, 2022}}
Eurovision Song Contest
= At Eurovision =
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 25 January 2022, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Malta was placed into the second semi-final, held on 12 May 2022, and performed sixth, in the first half of the show.{{cite web |date=2022-01-25 |title=Eurovision 2022: Which Semi-Final is your country performing in? |url=https://eurovision.tv/story/eurovision-2022-semi-finals |access-date=2022-01-25 |work=Eurovision.tv |publisher=EBU}}{{cite web |date=25 January 2022 |title=Eurovision Song Contest 2022 Second Semi-Final |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/turin-2022/second-semi-final |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329180357/https://eurovision.tv/event/turin-2022/second-semi-final |archive-date=29 March 2022 |work=Eurovision.tv |publisher=EBU |accessdate=16 April 2022 }} it had finished 16th out of 18 in semi 2, with 27 points by the jury (12th) and 20 points by the televote (15th), making Muscat's entry the first ever NQ in both juries and televotes for Malta.
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for "I Am What I Am" ! scope="col" |Chart (2022) ! scope="col" |Peak |
| scope="row" |Malta Domestic Airplay (BMAT PRS){{cite web |date=2022-05-01 |title=PRS Malta on Facebook: BMAT PRS Malta Top 10 Airplay Chart {{ndash}} 29 April 2022 |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=373028944838272|accessdate=January 7, 2023 |publisher=The Malta Independent|language=English}}
|1 |
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See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2022}}
Category:English-language Maltese songs
Category:Eurovision songs of 2022
Category:Eurovision songs of Malta