A Change in Me facts for kids

"A Change in Me" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical Beauty and the Beast, a stage adaptation of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name. The song was written specifically for American singer Toni Braxton when she joined the production to play the role of Belle in 1998, four years into the musical's run. Menken and Rice wrote "A Change in Me" to appease Braxton after Rice promised the singer, who was hesitant to sign her contract, that he would write an entirely new song for her to perform in the musical on the condition that she finally agree to play Belle.

Appearing during the show's second act, Belle sings "A Change in Me" to her father Maurice after reuniting with him to explain how much she has matured and changed for the better while she was imprisoned at the Beast's castle. Immediately popular among critics and audiences, the pop ballad has been positively received since Braxton debuted it, remaining part of the show's set list ever since. Actress Susan Egan, who originated the role of Belle in 1994, recorded the first studio version of "A Change in Me" in 2002 for her debut studio album So Far; her cover was the song's first English-language recording.

Cover versions

Since "A Change in Me" was introduced four years into Beauty and the Beast's run, the song has not yet been included on any official English-language cast albums. However, it has been recorded for the 2005 Manila, 2008 Madrid and 2009 Barcelona original cast recordings of the musical by various actresses in their native languages. It has since been covered by several artists. Actress Susan Egan, who originated the role of Belle when the show premiered in 1994, had already long left the production by the time "A Change in Me" was introduced. She covered the song for her debut studio album So Far in 2002. Arranged and produced by Craig Barna, Egan's version of "A Change in Me" was the first English-language studio recording of the song.

In her role as Kristen, actress Ashley Brown performed the song in the jukebox musical Disney's On the Record in 2005, which also appears on the original cast recording. Brown would eventually play Belle in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, performing "A Change in Me" several times during her tenure. Brown also sang the song live in the concert "“The Originals: Disney on Broadway” at the D23 Expo in 2015. Actress Kissy Simmons covered the song live on the Disney Wonder cruise ship as part of the Disney Theatrical Group's concert series Stars Set Sail in 2016. Although Disney decided against using any songs from the stage musical in their 2017 live-action adaptation of the film, "A Change in Me" is briefly referenced during Belle's (Emma Watson) solo in the original song "Days in the Sun". Watson's contribution shares similar themes with "A Change in Me".

Images for kids

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  "A Change in Me" was written specifically for R&B singer Toni Braxton to convince her to accept the role of Belle.