Here I Am (Natalie Gauci song)
| "Here I Am" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Here I Am" is the debut single for 2007 Australian Idol winner Natalie Gauci, written by Lindy Robbins and Tom Leonard.[1] This single was performed by the final two contestants - Gauci and Matt Corby - during the penultimate episode of Australian Idol 2007.
After Gauci won the competition on November 25 2007, the song was available online through BigPond Music, a major sponsor of Australian Idol. The single was released as a CD single on November 28 2007.
Background
Natalie Gauci was at first confused when she heard the demo, as it only contained male vocals. She realised that the writers of the song also wrote songs for The Backstreet Boys, and decided to make an overhaul of the song to record her own version. "Now the song sounds like I wrote it, I reckon," she says. "I feel very proud."[2]
Reception
Before the Australian Idol grand final, it was reported that both Gauci and Idol runner up Matt Corby had originally panned the winner's single and were unimpressed after hearing the demo of the song.[2]
Matt Corby was most uncomfortable with the song, who says that the pop song is "cheesy". "This competition has made me look like I'm into pop, but I'm not," he says.[1] He stated that the song was not the direction he was going to take, and wants to take a creative control for his music, as blues and roots was his most passionate music style.[3] "It's so far away from what I would release or write, but I have to cop it on the chin - it's part of the competition," he states.[4]
Top 3 finalist Carl Riseley had also performed a version of "Here I Am" with a swing style. He commented that his version sounded "bloody horrible".[5]
"Here I Am" was the first Australian Idol winner's single not to debut at the #1 position on the ARIA charts. "Here I Am" sold only 7,463 copies in its first week, lower than all previous Australian Idol winners' singles.[6]. However, it should be noted that in January 2007, ARIA began calculating its charts on Saturday rather than Sunday, thus meaning that Natalie's single was available for one day less than those of all previous Idol winners, having only reached stores on Wednesday/Thursday of that week. With only two days of CD sales, the single debuted at #1 on the official Physical Singles Sales chart, repeating the achievements of the previous four Idol winners. The single was certified gold for shipments of 35,000 in its second week on the chart, but has still currently only managed to sell just under 12,000.
Track listing
- CD single
- "Here I Am" (Lindy Robbins, Tom Leonard) – 3:50
- "All in My Mind" (Natalie Gauci, James Kempster) – 3:46
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart[7] | 2 |
See also
References
- ^ a b Adamson, Kate. "Idol single a dud", The Sunday Telegraph, November 18, 2007. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Ninemsn staff. "Idol finalists pan winner's single", Ninemsn, November 18, 2007. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
- ^ Sams, Christine. "Here I am - but it's not me", The Sun-Herald, November 18, 2007. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
- ^ "Melbourne's Natalie Gauci ready for Australian Idol final", Herald Sun, November 16, 2007. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
- ^ Braithwaite, Alyssa. "Australian Idol's Carl Riseley 'relieved'", Herald Sun, November 13, 2007. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
- ^ Paul Cashmere. "Australia Has Spoken, Idol Sales A Disaster". Undercover. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
- ^ "Natalie Gauci - Here I Am". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-12-10.