Who I Am (Alan Walker song)

"Who I Am" is song by Norwegian music producer and DJ Alan Walker, Norwegian singer Peder Elias and Indonesian singer Putri Ariani, released as a single on 4 January 2024 through MER.

Background
Putri Ariani is an Indonesian singer-songwriter, who won Indonesia's Got Talent and finished 4th place on America's Got Talent. She also performed the song "Not You" live with Alan Walker (which was popular in Indonesia). Inspired by her story, Walker decided she would be ideal for the song he was working on, about his own journey as an artist.

The song was released, with Peder Elias and Putri Ariani also joining a Discord podcast. The main drop samples a song from the 1955 Norwegian film Karius og Baktus, written by Christian Hartmann (which also has songwriting credits). It uses a similar style to On My Way, also featuring orchestral elements.

Walker has this to say about the song: "When I first started releasing music, I kept it mostly to myself. I found sharing my songs with others intimidating and I feared not "fitting in the crowd" with my style of music. Mom and Dad always taught me to be true to myself and follow my heart. Even if that meant going against the current sometimes.. Together with some amazing people, I decided to write a song about this." He continued, “'Who I Am' is a song about being true to yourself and following your heart. A little over 10 years ago, my heart was with music. And I'm so glad I found the courage to pursue it. Hope you do the same."

Critical reception
OldTimeMusic.com said that Who I Am is about "Breaking free from social expectations," and Kumparan said that Who I Am had "motivating lyrics."

Music Video
The music video was released on January 20, two weeks after the song's release. Set in Walkerworld, the AVI-8 drone will show moments in Walker's life from his childhood to his current career. Video submissions from fans will also be solicited, some of which can be viewed. The music video has been viewed more than 20 million times as of March 2024.

Restrung version
On 29 February 2024, Walker published an restrung version of the song called "Who I Am (Restrung Performance Version)". The song retains the build-up elements of the original, but Walker removes them to create a galloping folk-like rhythm enhanced by the string section and vocal choir.

The Restrung version of the video, uploaded by Walker's YouTube account on February 24, has been viewed over 9 million times as of March 2024, with over 500,000 likes and more than 40,000 comments. In this music video, Alan Walker, Putri Ariani, and Peder Elias sing against the backdrop of Norway's Andalsnes Mountains, accompanied by other musicians. Walker says in a statement about the video: "It almost feels surreal that just 10 days ago, we were standing on the mountain tops in Norway to shoot this video. I was prepared for the Norwegian winter, but the gusts of wind on the first day of filming were intense! Poor Putri came from 35 degrees in Indonesia. Fortunately, it calmed down, and we ended up with an incredibly beautiful product, and not least and amazing experience."