Demi Lovato’s long-awaited comeback to the music scene is well worth the wait; the single-songwriter is endlessly upbeat, self-deprecating and quick-witted in her latest pop smash ‘I Love Me’.

In what can only be described as a quirky composition that plays off familiar bubblegum pop tropes, Lovato does not hold back from addressing her missteps and self-destructive tendencies. But at the same time, the artist contemplates the challenges of loving herself, wondering when and how self-love is ever going to be enough. The theme on its own may not be a bold territory but the way in which Lovato discusses it is groundbreaking: self-love is not easy, and sometimes, it shouldn’t be. 

Right from the batt, we can see that this song will take off in sparkling fashion. Lovato could have gone the soft ballad route, as she has done seamlessly many times before. But she doesn’t care for the tears this time around. The tune steps up with gusto, a percussion of synth and triangles clicking away in the background, stirring up the tempo with each line. Lovato works through the first couple of verses in a cheeky sing-song manner, pursuing it as though it were a conversation she was having with herself. The first verse is buzzing with fresh pop culture metaphors, from the ‘Jedi level sabotage’ to voices in her head functioning as her ‘entourage’. 

However, the composition reaches its heights in the chorus, when Lovato brings the vocal goods. Her high notes remain as impeccable as ever, and she fulfills those layered runs with ease. The second verse levels off into a series of vocal runs from her, and she begins exudes a true sense of power and self-love. The singer famously suffered a drug overdose a few years back, so she took time off to focus on herself and her recovery. Speaking on what she has in store for this year, she said, “ I'm really excited for the music that I'm releasing. I also have some stuff coming out with other people; that's really exciting. So it's just, it's going to be a big year and I feel the momentum, I feel the excitement and I'm ready for it.”

 Singer-songwriter    Pop 

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.