A performer since the age of seven (the age at which he joined the Broadway cast of Annie Get Your Gun), Nicholas made his songwriting debut in 2002, when a holiday tune he'd co-written with his father found its way onto a Broadway Christmas album. A contract with Columbia Records followed two years later. Nicholas began prepping for his solo career by writing material with his older brothers, Kevin and Joseph, who eventually climbed aboard as permanent partners. Nick's solo project thus blossomed into a full-fledged band, and the siblings aptly named themselves the Jonas Brothers.
It took several years for the Jonas Brothers to find an adoring audience. It's About Time, the band's 2006 debut, was a commercial flop, and Columbia Records dropped the group one year later. Signing with Hollywood Records in 2007, the band began attracting new fans -- most of them young and female -- by establishing a presence in the Disney world. They appeared on the network's television shows, earned their own series, starred in a made-for-TV movie with Disney starlet Demi Lovato, and sold close to two million copies of their self-titled sophomore album. They replicated that feat one year later with A Little Bit Longer and returned in 2009 with Lines, Vines and Trying Times. All of the albums featured heavy contributions from Nick, who not only led the songwriting process but also played a wide variety of instruments, from drums to keyboard to guitar.
Taking a rare break from the band, Nick Jonas began working with several other musicians on a side project in late 2009. Members from Prince's New Power Generation were recruited to join the lineup, including Michael Bland and Tommy Barbarella, and the group dubbed itself Nick Jonas & the Administration before making its debut in early 2010 with the album Who I Am. The record performed respectably, peaking at three on the U.S. charts on its way to sales of 151,000, but there were soon suggestions that Nick was planning to return to the Jonas Brothers fold. This didn't happen. A 2013 tour was scrapped just prior to its October launch and, soon afterward, the band split. Nick Jonas regrouped with a 2014 solo tour followed by the November release of an eponymous album. Over the course of 2014, Jonas gained momentum, generating the Top 10 single "Jealous," which also topped Billboard's dance charts, as did "Chains " and "Levels," a bonus track from 2015's Nick Jonas X2.
In the Summer of 2016, Jonas returned with a new full-length effort, Last Year Was Complicated, featuring production by Jason Evigan, Mattman & Robin, Sir Nolan, and others. Included on the album was "Close," a duet with Tove Lo, and "Bacon," featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Also around this time, Jonas returned to acting, starring in the erotic thriller Careful What You Wish For and the fraternity hazing drama Goat. In 2017, he released the singles "Remember I Told You," featuring Anne-Marie and Mike Posner, and "Find You." Also that year, he collaborated with Nicki Minaj on the track "Bom Bidi Bom" off the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack.
I Am What I Am
Nick Jonas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For who I am
I want someone to need me
Is that so bad?
I wanna break all the madness
But it's all I have
I want someone to love me
For who I am
Nothing makes sense, nothing makes sense anymore
Nothing is right, nothing is right when you're gone
I'm losing my breath, I'm losing my right to be wrong
I'm frightened to death, I'm frightened that I won't be strong
I want someone to love me
For who I am
I want someone to need me
Is that so bad?
I wanna break all the madness
But it's all I have
I want someone to love me
For who I am
I'm shaking it off, I'm shaking off all of the pain.
Breaking my heart, breaking my heart once again
I want someone to love me
For who I am
I want someone to need me
Is that so bad?
I wanna break all the madness
But it's all I have
I want someone to love me
For who I am
I want someone to love me
For who I am
I want someone to need me
Is that so bad?
I wanna break all the madness
But it's all I have
I want someone to love me
For who I am
Yeah, who I am.
The song "Who I Am" by Nick Jonas and the Administration is about the desire to be loved and accepted for who you are. The lyrics express the frustration of feeling like you have to put on a facade or constantly change yourself to fit in or earn the love of others. At the same time, the song also acknowledges the fear of vulnerability that comes with opening up and revealing your true self.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I want someone to love me for who I am" four times, emphasizing the central message of the song. The verses paint a picture of a person who is struggling to make sense of their life and emotions, experiencing heartbreak and anxiety.
Overall, "Who I Am" is a powerful anthem of self-acceptance and the importance of finding someone who loves you for who you truly are.
Line by Line Meaning
I want someone to love me
I desire a person who will love me
For who I am
Not for who I pretend to be or for what I have, but for my true self
I want someone to need me
I crave a person who requires me in their life
Is that so bad?
Is it unreasonable to want this?
I wanna break all the madness
I long to end all the chaos and stress
But it's all I have
However, it seems this is my only reality
Nothing makes sense, nothing makes sense anymore
Everything is confusing, ambiguous, and uncertain
Nothing is right, nothing is right when you're gone
Everything feels off, nothing goes well when you're not here
I'm losing my breath, I'm losing my right to be wrong
I'm suffocating, and the freedom to make mistakes is slipping away
I'm frightened to death, I'm frightened that I won't be strong
I'm scared to the point of being terrified that I won't be capable of handling this
I'm shaking it off, I'm shaking off all of the pain.
I'm tossing away and letting go of all the suffering inside me
Breaking my heart, breaking my heart once again
Causing me to experience heartbreak yet another time
Yeah, who I am.
That is precisely who I am, take it or leave it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Nicholas Jonas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind