A bit over a month after making her comeback at the Grammy Awards, Demi Lovato released another single from her highly-anticipated upcoming seventh album. The song, titled I Love Me, is an empowering pop track about self-love and overcoming insecurities. As you may already know, these topics are very close to my heart, so, I felt the need to praise Lovato, while also pointing out the importance of such songs.
In the first verse, Lovato sings about her struggle with eating disorders. Over the years, Lovato has been very vocal about her struggles, setting an example and inspiring millions all over the world, including myself. Lovato sings: “Flippin’ through all of these magazines/ Tellin’ me who I’m supposed to be,” criticizing how our society enforces women to fit its idea of beauty. Lovato goes on to sing: “Can’t see what I am, I just see what I’m not/ I’m guilty ’bout everything that I eat (Every single day).” Suffering from eating disorders myself, I deeply relate to these lyrics, which emphasize how important it is for us to love ourselves.
Getty Images/ FilmMagic, Inc/ Jeff Kravitz
In the pre-chorus, Lovato sings: “‘ Cause I’m a black belt when I’m beating up on myself/ But I’m an expert at giving love to somebody else.” This is yet another relatable point for me. In many of my relationships over the years, I have given love to my partners so easily and effortlessly, while struggling to do the same for myself. I would constantly criticize myself and find reasons to put myself down, and I still struggle with this issue today.
In the chorus, Lovato belts: “Oh, why do I compare myself to everyone?/…/ Why am I always looking for a ride or die?/ ‘Cause mine’s the only heart I’m gonna have for life.” These lines, again, uncover a very important topic to me. Why do we have to compare ourselves to others instead of focusing on ourselves? As Lovato sings, we are “stuck” with ourselves until the end, we should worry about our hearts, our feelings, too.
On Instagram, the pop star explained the significance of the song, writing: “I can’t put into words just yet what this past year for me has been… but this song focuses on a lot of what’s been going on in my head. We have good days, and we have bad days. The best we can do is be the best version of ourselves and celebrate that with those closest to us. I wanted to also give a special shoutout to all of my Lovatics for always being there for me ❤️❤️2020 is OUR year!”
Much like the lyrics of the song, its accompanying music video showcased these important topics. At the beginning of the video, for example, we see Lovato fighting with her old self. This is a representation of Lovato confronting her self-doubt and insecurities, and putting her past behind her. The video also recounts some of the defining moments in Lovato’s life and career.
This is such an important message to convey. I applaud Lovato for her bravery and courage in sharing her story. As Lovato sang on the song: “I’m my own worst critic/ But I’m a ten out of ten even when I forget.” So, please, don’t you ever forget to love yourself or how amazing you are.
You can watch the music video here: