Songfacts®:

• "This Is Who I Am" is a stirring, theatrical anthem of self-acceptance and personal identity. It grapples with the messy, often unglamorous work of being honest about who you are in a world determined to tell you otherwise.
• "Only you can tell them that this is who I am," Celeste declares over a sweeping orchestral arrangement in the chorus.
  
  "It's a song about an emergence of being and a song about finding a sense of empowerment in who you truly are," Celeste told BBC Radio 1's Jack Sanders.
  
  "Sometimes you can feel a bit like you've lost who you are, or you lose touch within yourself, and takes a little bit while, you know, to regain a sense of who that is. And this song is just kind of for people as well, to feel a sense of confidence in instilling that belief again within themselves, and standing by with conviction, with who they are, despite their flaws. It's about that as well."
• The song holds special significance for Celeste. Having held it close to her chest for nearly four years, "This Is Who I Am" finally emerged on November 6, 2024, after it was chosen as the opening theme for The Day of the Jackal, an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's classic novel. When Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch - stars of the Peacock and Sky series - personally selected it for the credits, it was as if fate had finally decided to give the song its due.
  
  "This song has existed for a long time, and it felt almost unjust that circumstances didn't allow it to come out four years ago," said Celeste. "Now, with everything aligning, this moment serves as a powerful acknowledgment of something that, back then, felt unresolved."
• Celeste wrote the song alone. Beach Noise, an American production trio who worked on Kendrick Lamar's 2022 Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers album, produced the track. Their production, wrapped around melancholy piano chords and cinematic strings, showcases Celeste's velvety, old-world voice.
• Celeste made her directorial debut with the music video, a meditation on the oppression of women throughout history. It's a reminder and celebration of their collective strength and resilience.