"As I Am" is a song by Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

featuring American singer-songwriter

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname.

. It was released through

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

on March 19, 2021, as the third track from Bieber's sixth studio album, ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

''. The song was written alongside Scott Harris,

Aldae Gregory Hein, known professionally as Aldae (homonymous with "all day"), is an American songwriter and record producer. He has co-written songs for a variety of artists including Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez, Marshmello, John Legend ...

, producers

The Monsters & Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander " Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, and Jordan K. Johnson and The Strangerz: Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax and Cla ...

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(of TM&S), & Josh Gudwin, and co-producer

Ido Zmishlany Ido Zmishlany is an American record producer and songwriter. He has written and produced songs for various artists such as Justin Bieber, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers, Grace VanderWaal, Needtobreathe, Jonas Brothers, ...

Background and composition

"As I Am" is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

set in the key of

B major B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its enharmonic equi ...

and has a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 100 beats per minute. The song marks the first collaboration between Justin Bieber and Khalid. The "soulful and hopeful" song serves as "a sweet reminder of being grateful for the people who love you even when you are not perfect". The "high-pitched synth and intense percussion" develop into the "upbeat, catchy chorus". On March 19, 2021, in an interview with ''

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'', Bieber spoke on the nature of the song and revealed that it was about the promises that he made to his wife

Hailey Baldwin Hailey Rhode Bieber (nee Baldwin; born November 22, 1996) is an American model, socialite, creative director and businesswoman. She is the founder and chief creative officer of her namesake skin care company Rhode, and has featured in campaign ...

I love this song because it has a really hopeful message. A lot of us, including me at times, have felt unworthy of love and so he hookis saying, 'Take me as I am and I'll do the best that I can.' It's that commitment that I personally made to my wife. I'm here through thick and thin—this is me, take it or leave it.

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Jason Lipshutz ranked "As I Am" as the twelfth-best song on ''

'', opining that the pairing of Bieber and Khalid "plays out just as fans would have hoped" and that it "should be the first of several team-ups between the two". Craig Jenkins from ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' wrote that the collaboration "fools you into thinking it's another muted ballad before knocking you over the head with a massive drop". Jennifer McClellan of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' thought that Khalid's vocals on the track were a "genius addition". Similarly, Chris Willman of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' believed Khalid was one of several guest artists on ''Justice'' "who actually feel like they complement Bieber somehow". By contrast, Ali Shutler of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' turned down Khalid's guest appearance on the song as unexciting.

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

's Bianca Gracie felt that the song was "a formulaic recreation of ''

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

''s poppier moments".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *

– lead vocals, songwriting *

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal". It also appears as a surname.

– featured vocals, songwriting *

– production, songwriting, drums, programming ** Jordan K. Johnson – production, songwriting, drums, programming ** Stefan Johnson – production, vocal production, songwriting, drums, programming *

– production, songwriting, bass, programming * Josh Gudwin – production, songwriting, mixing, recording, vocal engineering, studio personnel *

– co-production, songwriting, piano * Scott Harris – songwriting * Aldae – songwriting, background vocals * Pierre-Luc Rioux – guitar * Colin Leonard – mastering * Denis Kosiak – recording * Heidi Wang – recording, assistant mixing * James Keeley – assistant recording

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Khalid 2020s ballads 2021 songs Justin Bieber songs Khalid (singer) songs Pop ballads Song recordings produced by the Monsters & Strangerz Songs written by Justin Bieber Songs written by Khalid (singer) Songs written by Jordan Johnson (songwriter) Songs written by Stefan Johnson Songs written by Scott Harris (songwriter) Songs written by Aldae Songs written by Ido Zmishlany