The Singles Jukebox

And we’re OK with you!

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[5.86]Katie Gill: This song does a lot of flip-flopping. The flip-flopping between loud and soft in the chorus? Inspired, wonderful; that grabbed my attention SUPER quick and while it is a bit gimmicky, it’s gimmicky in an over-the-top way that I adore. The flip-flopping of the lyrics, where Lovato jumps between a straightforward self-love song and a more critical analysis of how she reacts and grapples with the concept of self-love? A bit less solid. Hanging the song on “I wonder when ‘I love me’ is enough” is a really ballsy choice; don’t immediately blow past it with that bridge about being a 10 out of 10.
[6]

David Moore: A few good lines here — “Jedi-level sabotage”! — but the clunky alternating piano plink and wall-of-sound arena chorus is a little jarring, like a Lil Yachty and Imagine Dragons co-production. There was a good edgy empowerment anthem last year that I never heard anyone else talk about — “Kiss My Fat Ass” by Sheppard.
[4]

Michael Hong: If “Anyone” was Demi Lovato’s “Lose You to Love Me” then “I Love Me” is her “Look At Her Now,” colourfully weird (“Jedi level sabotage”) and upbeat, superior to the blander ballad. The difference between the performers is that Gomez twirled circles around her production, whereas Lovato merely goes louder, making her vocal theatrics appear ostentatious and clumsy.
[5]

Alfred Soto: After a game, even frisky start, “I Love Me” swells to unhealthy proportions. I know the title’s a joke, but next time less loud, please.
[5]

Kylo Nocom: Demi presents the stitched remains of a Xeroxed “Truth Hurts” (“Truth Hurts” : this :: “No Problem” : “Sorry Not Sorry”), Lauv’s cutesy Ikea-pop, and a ballad we might’ve heard from her in 2011. Chaos ends up saying so much more than any individual piece would have otherwise.
[8]

Joshua Lu: Demi Lovato has released a song like “I Love Me” for every album cycle since 2013, but this iteration manages to feel a bit fresh in spite of its predictability. Part of its charm is how it recognizes the limits of songs like these, or “Sorry Not Sorry,” or “Skyscraper,” where reminders of self-love and personal resilience are rarely effective. Demi keeps it playful as well; the way the chorus swells and then quickly drops off is a great way to emphasize her great vocals without pushing it too far.
[6]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Brimming with self-reference without sounding pedantic, looking darkness in the face while guarding a sense of humor, comprising huge pop hooks yet still sounding impossibly intimate: “I Love Me” and its brilliant transmutation of self-loathing into self-love will go on to define Demi Lovato’s career.
[7]