Wow. Demi Lovato has already put out a ton of very powerful songs, but this one might have taken the cake.
Demi just dropped a surprise single called “Sober” where she got real about losing her sobriety. Demi has been sober for six years and it’s not entirely clear whether she fell off the wagon recently, or whether the song is reflecting back to when struggled to say sober as a young pop star.
Either way, the song is incredible. And unlike some of her other showstoppers like “Stone Cold” and “Father,” this song draws its power from the quiet, sobering (no pun intended) truth of what it’s like to lose your sobriety after so much hard work.
Demi sings about what it’s like to disappoint your family, your fans, and yourself and why she lost her sobriety in the first place.
Perhaps the most tear-jerking lyric comes at the end when she sings,
“I’m sorry that I’m here again / I promise I’ll get help / It wasn’t my intention / I’m sorry to myself.”
It’s so incredible that after being famous for so many years, Demi is still willing to get so unbelievably vulnerable with her fans, something most of her peers are unwilling to do.
But that’s why Demi’s fans love her so much. She’s not just another pop star. Ever since she gained her sobriety, she has become so open and honest with her fans about nearly everything, whether it’s her struggle with drugs and alcohol, or her body image issues (she’s struggled with bulimia for years), she’s never tried to hide her flaws.
She wants so badly to be a role model for her fans, but as she sings in “Sober,” she’s only human. But isn’t that what we want in a role model? Someone who owns up to their misgivings and tries to better themselves?
It’s because of this raw vulnerability that makes “Sober,” and most of Demi’s music actually, so compelling. “Sober” is beautiful and haunting and puts in you Demi’s head as she deals with the morning after. It’s completely heartbreaking to think about Demi failing after working so hard to maintain her sobriety.
I know that Demi’s fans will rally around her and that Demi will recover from this. She’s fallen before and she got back up. And I know she’ll do it again.
