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Kayla Rickert

Professor Carter

English Composition 1201

11 February 2022

This Is Me

“I won’t let them break me down to dust,” Keala Settle sang with power in her song

“This Is Me” filmed for “The Greatest Showman” movie released in October of 2017. This song

played a significant role in the movie as there were many characters that looked and felt like they

stood out from others. The same message was received in the remix “This Is Me (The

Reimagined Remix) by Missy Elliott, Kesha, and Keala Settle in November 2018. The song

"This is me" is about people who feel or look different from others but soon realize they are

happy to be who they are and own it with no shame. The original and the remix both show how

this is done but in slightly diverse ways, like speaking to mainly children in the original video

and teenagers/ young adults in the remix.

To begin, the original music video is straight from the movie with all the characters that

were included in the circus because they all had something unique about them; like a woman

with a beard or having the ability to do tricks. This led to them being screamed at and left. For

example, all the fancy parties they had not been invited to, so they all sang this song to stand up

and say, “This is me” and that there are no apologies made for being who they are. While the

second video, the remix, has the same idea, it has a slightly different story to it. This storyline is

about three high schoolers who all have a different passion or talent and want to embrace it

without the judgement of others. They encounter relationships with outsiders who help them gain
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self-confidence and make their dreams come true, while saying “This is me” and I am not afraid

to show it. The high schoolers’ passion for rapping, singing, or dancing is shown through their

“makeover” in the video as they come to be their best selves and fully embrace it.

Furthermore, the original “This Is Me” music video speaks to the younger generation,

due to it being PG rated and the music soundtrack. It has characters of all types including

clowns, trapeze artists, and different sized people from the circus that interests little kids. There

were not any props used, they just danced as they sang their song inside the circus tent. All types

of people can be interested in this video: Any race, gender, social class, age, etc. The remix is

speaking to the audience of teenagers and young adults considering those are the characters

present in the music video. Their hobbies are things they have acquired while growing up which

leads to the reasoning behind the audience they are reaching out to the most. The characters in

the video are all different from their race to their gender. The audience that would be appealed is

more middle- or lower-class individuals since that is the main location that this video’s filmed in.

In the original video, the main singer starts to gain some volume in her voice as it rises

and she gets some determination in her singing voice. “Look out ‘cause here I come- and I’m

marchin’ on to the beat I drum” as she starts walking faster with all the others to be shown off in

front of the crowd. This is an example of unique people noticing their value and not being afraid

to show who they are. She walks out on her own terms, at her own pace (the beat that she drums)

with confidence. “Another round of bullets hits my skin- Well, fire away, ‘cause today, I won’t

let the shame sink in” is sung in the remix. As the high schooler that dances falls and makes a

mistake, the failure represents the harsh words of others trying to put people down. This lyric

means say whatever you want, and it will not affect me, just like failing at what you love; you

get right back up and pay no attention to the bad things in life.
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In addition, there were separate genres used in the two music videos. Pop music was the

genre of the original and can also be classified as children's music. The remix could be classified

as several types: one being rap/ hip hop and pop. This being, the one teenage boy who has a

passion for rapping adds his own freestyle rap at the beginning of the song. No matter the genre,

both videos create an emotional reaction to the viewer that is watching. This is a rhetorical

appeal to pathos specifically and is shown a lot throughout both videos. The lyrics and actions

give some insight into how it must feel to be so left out and mistreated, leaving the viewer

saddened.

In conclusion, the music video for “This Is Me” by Keala Settle and the remix by Missy

Elliott, Kesha, and Keala Settle have the same theme but convey it in slightly diverse ways to

different audiences. The original speaks to mainly children while the remix speaks to teens/

young adults, but it all comes back to the idea that everyone should be happy and confident in

who they are.

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“The Greatest Showman Cast - This Is Me (Official Lyric Video).” YouTube. Uploaded by
Atlantic Records, 11 January 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxugyZCfuw

“Keala Settle, Kesha & Missy Elliott - This Is Me (The Reimagined Remix) [feat. the men of
Queer Eye].” YouTube. Uploaded by Atlantic Records, 20 December 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH4-KR_ZzEo