Free to Be Me

"Free to Be Me"
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
"I'm Letting Go" (2008) "Free to Be Me" (2009) "It's Your Life" (2009)

"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]

Background

"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]

Music Video

The official music video for "Free to Be Me" was released on December 16, 2009.^[6]

Critical reception

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]

Awards

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]}

Personnel

• Francesca Battistelli – vocals
• Tim Lauer – keyboards
• Aaron Shannon – additional programming
• Mike Payne – guitars
• Tony Lucido – bass
• Scott Williamson – drums

Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Hot Christian Songs	1[9]
Bubbling Under Hot 100	17[10]

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Christian Digital	17[11]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "RIAA - Gold and Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. April 21, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
2. "Review: My Paper Heart - Francesca Battistelli". crossrhythms.co.uk. October 14, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
3. "iTunes (U.S.) - Music - Various Artists - WOW Hits 2010". iTunes (U.S.). December 11, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
4. "iTunes (U.S.) - Music - Various Artists - WOW Number 1s - 30 Number 1 Christian Hits". iTunes (U.S.). March 1, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
5. "iTunes (U.S.) - Music - Various Artists - WORD: Six Decades of Hits". iTunes (U.S.). September 20, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
6. "Francesca Battistelli - Free To Be Me (Official Music Video)". youtube.com.
7. "My Paper Heart by Francesca Battistelli - Teen Music Review". teenink.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
8. "Louder Than The Music - Reviews - Francesca Battistelli - My Paper Heart". louderthanthemusic.com. May 26, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
9. "Billboard - Francesca Battistelli - Chart History - Hot Christian Songs". Billboard. April 4, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
10. "Billboard - Bubbling Under Hot 100 - 2009-05-02". Billboard. May 2, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
11. "Billboard - Francesca Battistelli - Chart History - Christian Digital Songs". Billboard. September 3, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
12. "American single certifications – Francesca Battistelli – Free to Be Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 4, 2023.