The song was co-written by Louis Biancaniello, Sam Watters, and former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray.

Diana DeGarmo, the runner up of American Idol, sang the song first on the finale, for her first performance of the night.

The judges unanimously acclaimed Fantasia the winner, a prediction that came true when she was crowned the following evening.

[4] During its debut week, the single sold 142,000 copies, making it the second debut solo single by a female artist to commence its chart run at number one, following Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

[13] "I Believe" stayed in the top 50 for 11 weeks, ending 2004 as Australia's 85th-best-selling single and earning a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping over 35,000 copies.