"Free to Be Me" | ||||
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Single by Francesca Battistelli | ||||
from the album My Paper Heart | ||||
Released | January 2009 | |||
Genre | CCM | |||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label | Fervent Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Francesca Battistelli | |||
Producer(s) | Ian Eskelin | |||
Francesca Battistelli singles chronology | ||||
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"Free to Be Me" was released as the second single from American Contemporary Christian music singer Francesca Battistelli's major label debut album, My Paper Heart , in January 2009. The song was certified Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA on April 21, 2014. [1]
"Free to Be Me" was released in January 2009, although there has not been a specified date.[ citation needed ] The song has been compared to the works of fellow Christian music artist Sarah Kelly. [2] It features a background of "thick" drums, bass, piano and electronic organ. Along with being featured on My Paper Heart , it has been featured on WOW Hits 2010 , Now That's What I Call Faith , WOW Number 1s: Yellow , and Wow: Six Decades of Hits. [3] [4] [5]
The official music video for "Free to Be Me" was released on December 16, 2009. [6]
John Fisher of Cross Rhythms said, "This young lady is not afraid to look at life's highs and lows from a very personal angle." [2] Katie R. of Teen Ink stated that it was "easy to listen to and extremely uplifting". [7] Rich Smith of Louder Than The Music called it a "stand out track". [8]
The song was nominated for three Dove Awards: "Song of the Year", "Short Form Music Video of the Year", and "Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year" at the 41st GMA Dove Awards, and won an award under the "Short Form Music Video of the Year" category.[ citation needed ]
Chart (2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
Hot Christian Songs | 1 [9] |
Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 17 [10] |
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Christian Digital | 17 [11] |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [12] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |