Demi Lovato's 'I Love Me' Explained
Demi Lovato is no stranger to belting powerful self-confidence anthems — "Confident," "Sorry Not Sorry," and "Skyscraper," to name a few, but the 28-year-old singer's years in the spotlight have never been easy. She's been frank with fans about her struggles with addiction, an eating disorder, and mental health issues. In 2017, she executive produced a documentary about mental illness called Beyond Silence and opened up to Rolling Stone about her mental health. "I'm proud to be bipolar and speak about it," she told the magazine.
The following year, Lovato relapsed and was admitted to the hospital for a reported drug overdose. As she recovered, she remained quiet in the music industry, until 2020, when Lovato made her comeback performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards with her powerful single "Anyone."
"I Love Me" is Lovato's follow-up to that song, and it is full of self love and realization. There is also a whole bunch of Easter eggs in the track and the video that reference her past battles. Let's stroll down memory lane with Lovato and dig deep into the meaning behind "I Love Me."
Demi Lovato's 'I Love Me' video alludes to past relationships
In Demi Lovato's video for "I Love Me," the singer walks past three boys playing instruments and a girl with long, brown hair and a magenta blouse holding a microphone. This is a clear reference to Lovato's Camp Rock days, which propelled her into stardom and helped her grow a relationship with the Jonas Brothers.
The four had a tight relationship for years, and Lovato and Joe Jonas dated briefly in 2010. Lovato and Nick Jonas had an especially strong relationship, and in 2017, Nick posted a sweet birthday tribute to Lovato (via Elite Daily) writing, "I admire you so much and am so grateful to have you in my life." However, that friendship appears to have fizzled, and Lovato reportedly unfollowed Nick on Instagram in 2019 and didn't attend his and actress Priyanka Chopra's wedding later that year. Fans are not sure what happened, but Lovato confirmed she does not speak to any of the JoBros in an interview.
In her music video, Lovato also passes by what appears to be a grown-up version of the Jonas Brothers. She gives them a sideways glance as she strolls.
Another relationship seemingly referenced in the "I Love Me" video is her on and off again romance with actor Wilmer Valderrama, which ended in 2016, after six years. In the video, Lovato passes a bride and groom — Valderrama got married just months before the video's release.
While the video is full of symbolism, let's see what the lyrics offer.
Demi Lovato confronts her demons through her lyrics
Demi Lovato does not shy away from her inner struggles. In fact, she boldly confronts them in "I Love Me." Noting the pressures of the press as she reads magazines, she sings, "Can't see what I am, I just see what I'm not."
Shortly after, she alludes to her eating disorder, singing, "I'm guilty 'bout everything that I eat (Every single day)." On a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the former Disney star opened about her eating disorder and her controlling management. "For many years, I didn't even have a birthday cake. Like I had a watermelon cake where you cut your watermelon into the shape of a cake and put fat-free whipped cream on top," she recalled.
Lovato also admits that she lets internet trolls affect her personal thoughts with lyrics such as, "Haters that live on the internet live in my head, should be paying rent." She spoke about the pain caused by hateful online comments at the 2019 Teen Vogue Summit (via Teen Vogue). I'm so tired of pretending I'm not human," she said. "When you say stuff, it affects me. I try not to look, but I see it."
In "I Love Me," Lovato also admits she's her "own worst critic," crooning: "I'm a black belt when I'm beating up on myself." There's more to that lyric, though. Lovato earned a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2017.
Demi Lovato knows she is a catch in 'I Love Me'
While many haunting hurdles are explained in "I Love Me," the song has an overall tone of acceptance and self-love, as Demi Lovato repeats in the bridge: "But I'm a ten out of ten even when I forget." In an interview with Apple Music (via Entertainment Tonight), Lovato explains: "This track is all about loving yourself. It talks about how hard we are on ourselves and the negative self-talk [and] how easily we can listen to that. But when is loving yourself gonna be enough?" Despite her past battles, Lovato seems to be happy with herself and where she's at in life.
Since this self-love anthem dropped, Lovato has found another love: actor Max Ehrich. They got engaged in July 2020, and in the announcement post, she gushed that she can finally be herself with him and that he pushes her in a positive direction. "You make me want to be the best version of myself," she said.
We couldn't be happier for this ten-out-of-ten superstar.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, mental health, or eating disorders, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and the National Eating Disorder Association's Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.