In between collaborations with Cheat Codes, Jax Jones, Luis Fonsi, Christina Aguilera, and most recently, Clean Bandit, when does pop vocal powerhouse Demi Lovato ever find time to check in on herself?
Lovato truly hit her stride, found her confidence, with the release of last year's personal and powerful Tell Me You Love Me. However, just as promotion for the album looked to steamroll forward ("Sorry Not Sorry" reached the Top 10, the title track started to climb the charts, a sold-out stadium tour), Lovato put it all on hold to announce plans for the release of her upcoming seventh studio album were already underway.
Say goodbye to "Ruin the Friendship" and "Crybaby"... now, let's move on.
With the recent release of heartbreaking and revealing "Sober", the artist makes word on her promise of new material. Since her rehab stint and the release of "Skyscraper" in 2011, Lovato has made public her struggles with alcohol/drug addiction and bipolar disorder. For six years, the artist has voiced pride in her newfound sobriety, encouraging others that betterment is possible. However, the stirring ballad sheds dim light on a possible relapse for the artist, spiraling her into darkness once again.
"Sober" is a piano-driven ballad, using a minimalist approach to convey a somber message of someone desperately seeking help and advice. Those who have followed the artist's career are not surprised by her struggles with addiction. However, instead of Lovato making excuses for her recent actions, she instead apologizes for somehow shaming those she loves the most. The end result is a narrative and personal plea for forgiveness.
Worried that she will no longer be seen as a role model to those who look up to her, though adamant that all humans make mistakes and can learn from them, the new ballad details Lovato's real-life internal conflict, one many listeners will resonate with. "To the ones who never left me, we've been down this road before, I'm so sorry, I'm not sober anymore," she frailly sings to her fans on the chorus, seemingly scared of the retaliation/judgement that can soon follow her words.
Whether the artist's decision to address her relapse on "Sober" is a form of self-therapy; a chance to accept the setback but keep moving forward, or an opportunity to share her situation with her loved ones in the search of comfort and understanding, it ultimately becomes her most intimate revelation since her personal struggles were publicly displayed.
The willingness to share, allowing fans to peek underneath the surface, leads them to an immediate conclusion that the artist's next album will draw on raw emotion and lived experience, rather than the traditional pop inspirations.
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