Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Demi Lovato and writing this analysis isn’t going to make me run and delete her songs from my playlists, but as I was listening to a few of the songs recently, I was able to really listen to some of the words and the implications of those lyrics and began to question the message that Lovato may be sending. When her album Tell Me You Love Me came out in late September, I was right beside the rest of them shouting praise and support for Demi and what many were anticipating to be her comeback album. The writing on this track is pretty heavy and threaded with content that is not only personal, but contextually communicates a variety of messages. The themes of the album range anywhere from heartbreak to addiction, but without a doubt, most of the songs on Lovato’s album reference some form of relationship.
Lovato though has changed her tune multiple times when referring to her album, arguably sending mixed signals to her fanbase about why she wrote the album and what certain lyrics on the track means. In one interview with Billboard, Lovato is quoted by saying,
What inspired me to be so open with this album was, I don’t know, I’ve kind of been through a lot over this past year and a half since I released my last album (Confident)…and I wanted to be honest because my fans deserve that.
In other interviews, however, Lovato is quoted saying that her newest record, “wasn’t meant to be personal, [but] that it just came out that way in the writing.”
Nonetheless, despite what the album was truly about, it’s hard to percieve Demi’s album as anything other than a tribute to all that she’s been through, but unfortunately, rather than being communicated on an album full of restorative remarks and self-love promotions, the tone of Lovato’s album is somewhat bitter, vengeful, self-depracating and arguably, a little unhealthy.
These feelings and emotions are easily recognized in songs like Sorry, Not Sorry where Lovato unapolagetically blasts her “haters” and Daddy Issues. In a Teen Vogue interview, Demi opens up about how having an absent father led her to anticipate and even feel comfortable with disappointment. About the lyrics she said, “When you grow up with an absent father, you have relationship issues — and you sometimes go for the type of person who feels familiar. So that lyric was about something that felt familiar.” The worst one; however, might be the song Tell Me You Love Me. While Demi was quoted in an interview saying that the song “calls out a big misconception with the line, You ain’t nobody ’til you got somebody” I (here is the unpopular part) really disagree.
While I understand that there is incredible emotion behind these songs, and I understand the album may or may not be — depending on who you ask and when — a tribute to the really rough past that Lovato has overcome, I don’t feel like this album communicates freedom or restoration in a healthy way at all, which is really upsetting to me considering Lovato’s supposed dedication to mental health education. Rather than using this new album and using her platform to show women the journey to restoration and independence, Lovato — in my unpopular opinion — places incredible emphasis on being torn by love, then saved by it. On needing to be fulfilled by a male, on being reliant on others who treat you poorly, on allowing others to treat you less than you deserve because it is what you’re used to and on being vengeful and bitter when you finally break away from the mold. While Demi insinuates that some of these songs are meant to be turned back on themselves and seek just to bring awareness to these issues, there are too many one-liners from the album that I don’t believe speak clearly enough to their purpose. I believe they are often perceived just as they sound.
So many people turned to Lovato’s album to help reconcile their pasts as well, knowing what she had been through these past two years. But, if their hoping to find guidance, I think they may have turned to the wrong place. Rather than inspire and uplift, the deeply personal album — in my opinion — missed the mark, or at least didn’t clearly communicate it’s purpose. While it had the ability be a voice for mental health and restoration, I think it has the potential to reinforce unhealthy ideas about relationships and self image, which does more harm than good. It no doubt, took a lot of courage for Lovato to put out this music, so all the more respect for her, but I do think — given her past experiences and current journey — I expected a little bit more. Like I said, this is just my unpopular opinion, so I’ve posted a link to the full album below so you can decide for yourself!
