Photo courtesy of Ralph Arvesen, Wikipedia
Pop icon Demi Lovato recently released her second single of 2020, “I Love Me,” on March 5, accompanied by an upbeat and powerful music video.
As the title suggests, the song is purely about embracing self-love. It can be seen and used as a great reminder when you might be struggling on your own.
Lovato has always been vocal about her personal issues and history of drug abuse, alcohol abuse and eating disorders. She has also made a point to do the same with this single’s release. Back in 2018, Lovato had a major relapse, which put her in the hospital from an overdose. During her most recent recovery, her greatest discovery was her need to be there for herself.
“If you do go through this, you can get through it,” Lovato shared in her recent interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in regards to her journey. “You can get to the other side and it may be bumpy, but you are a 10 out of 10. Don't forget it. And as long as you take the responsibility, you can move past it and learn to love yourself the way that you deserve to be loved."
Her conversation mirrors the message she is stressing in her new hit single. While learning to love yourself and provide proper self-care is not an easy thing, Lovato proves that it is possible. When we remember to tell ourselves that we are our biggest critic and are more than the small speck we see ourselves as, self-love starts to blossom.
For years, Lovato has shed light towards empowering others – especially women and girls – to speak their truth, stand up for themselves and not be ashamed of the minds and bodies that belong to them.
In the chorus, Lovato repeats the lyric, “I wonder when I love me is enough” and she uses this as a response to her doubts about herself. She expresses in the song that she compares herself to others and notices every small imperfection that other people may not like or approve of. However, the lasting message of the song is that as long as you love yourself, that is all that matters.
The song is an empowering anthem for the ages, and it can effectively encourage listeners to take a step back, look at all they have been through and see just how far they have come. That is true strength and growth.
As far as the video, it was a fun and creative visual depiction of the song and Lovato’s personal journey. Throughout the music video, Lovato clearly displays what fighting and dealing with the different sides of yourself is like.
Lovato is confronted with positive and negative versions of herself in the beginning of the video, and she watches them battle it out with each other. This is a powerful and attentive approach to expressing the struggle of inner demons and personalities.
Additionally, the video progresses as she makes her way to the streets in a bold red jacket with confidence and dominance. While doing so, Lovato walks past at many important moments from her past, but she does not dwell on them. She simply looks past them, smiles and keeps moving forward, a lesson we can all follow.
“This video was so special to me,” Lovato shared in an Instagram post. “It was important for me to add special easter eggs that represent certain times and chapters in my life. This one by far was the most emotional for me to shoot,” referring to the most powerful moment towards the end of the video, when Lovato walks past an unconscious version of herself on a gurney being pushed into an open ambulance. Lovato proceeds to give her other self a small squeeze, smile and then continue to move forward.
Whether we believe it or not, we are all stronger than we give ourselves credit for. As Lovato shows in her video, it is healthy to remember and appreciate our pasts, but there are bigger and more beautiful things waiting ahead.
5/5 stars
emelvin@ramapo.edu
