The Real Meaning Behind Demi Lovato's 'Butterfly'

The following article contains mentions of drug abuse.

Demi Lovato released her new seventh studio album Dancing with the Devil ... The Art of Starting Over on April 2, 2021. The album chronicles her struggles with addiction and her road to recovery, particularly following her near-fatal overdose in July 2018. 

The 19-track album, which features collaborations with Ariana Grande, Noah Cyrus, and Saweetie, also serves as a companion to her YouTube docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil. Lovato told fans via Instagram to listen to the album in from "top to bottom," explaining to Variety, "If you listen to it track by track, if you follow the track listing, it's kind of actually like the non-official soundtrack to the documentary. Because it really does follow my life over the past couple of years."

As it turns out, the album also helped Lovato make peace with her past, which includes forgiving the people who hurt her the most. In fact, one track details her complicated relationship with a late family member. Keep scrolling to find out the real meaning behind "Butterfly."

According to Genius, Demi Lovato's "Butterfly" is about making peace with her estranged father, Patrick Lovato, who died in June 2013, per Us Weekly. She references his death in the track's opening lines when she sings, "Used to dread the month of June/ 'Cause it reminded me of you." The singer seemingly goes on to say she's forgiven him ("Forgiveness is the hardest truth/ It's something that you have to choose"), but reflects on the person she's become in spite of him ("You leave and gave me my loyalty, loyalty"). Then, in the song's bridge, she sings, "You were never really graceful/Now you're just what you're supposed to be" ... a butterfly flying over her.

In 2009, Lovato told the NY Daily News she and her late dad didn't have much of a relationship and hadn't spoken in years. "The last time I talked to him was two years ago," she said, adding that he let her down too many times forcing her to "cut off all connection" with him because it "was hurting [her] too much." When he died, she tweeted: "There's an overwhelming sense of peace knowing my dad is no longer battling his demons anymore and that makes me so happy."

The pop star also previously opened up about their complicated relationship while discussing her 2015 song "Father," off of her album Confident. She also detailed how his drug misuse influenced her own in drug and alcohol struggles in her 2017 documentary Simply Complicated.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).