Demi Lovato is in full celebration mode now that her sixth studio album, Tell Me You Love Me, has finally arrived today (Sept. 29). But a select group got to toast with the singer a few hours early at a private album launch event Thursday night (Sept. 28) in New York City.
The small, chic event space was a tribute to everything Tell Me You Love Me — the event was officially called DEMI x JBL in partnership with the audio company — with merch and paintings of Lovato and lions filling the room. iPads lined the walls displaying each of the 12 tracks and giving the option to put on noise-cancelling JBL Everest Elite 750NC headphones for a sneak peek at a tidbit about what each song represents to Lovato, followed by the song itself.
Lovato stopped by and participated in a Q & A session moderated by one of her super fans, Casey Fitzsimmons, who asked her a handful of questions about the album, including which song Lovato could be caught singing in the shower to. Demi, not surprisingly, said that every song has been sung in the shower.
“What inspired me to be so open on 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 (2015’s Grammy-nominated Confident),” Lovato told Fitzsimmons and her small crowd. “Or two years, and I wanted to be honest because my fans deserve that.”
Lovato then revealed that having Lil Wayne featured on her album (“Lonely”) was a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to collaborate with him!” she gushed. “My album was Lil Wayne on it, and the inner-hip-hop wanna-be star that I am is freaking out. My inner-rapper is going crazy.”
The decision to have her fans tweet out her track list to the world was intentionally done because, she said, as a way to include all the people who allow her to live her dream.
Before leaving, Lovato took time to personally wish happy birthdays to two of her most loyal Lovatics, Nancy Berman and Brianna Pillarella.
DEMI LOVATO JSUT GAVE ME A BOQIET OF FLOWERS FOR MY BIRTHDYA FKANDJSBSBSNDNDNSDNDNNSNSNEDNNSKWNDSNJWNDDNNDNSDNDJ
— Brianna Pillarella (@BriPillarella) September 29, 2017
This is me shell shocked and beaming pic.twitter.com/MovYNNXVWg
— Brianna Pillarella (@BriPillarella) September 29, 2017
Below is a recap of every track’s meaning on Tell Me You Love Me, as told by Lovato.
“Sorry Not Sorry”
“This is one of my favorites and the first single off of the album. I wanted to kick off the launch of my new music in a fun and upbeat way. A lot of people on my team wanted to go with another song as the first single, and I really pushed for ‘Sorry Not Sorry.’ We also had a blast making the music video, and the song is an unapologetic anthem for all the haters out there. It’s basically a message that says I’m gonna live my life and choose my happiness on my own terms, and I won’t apologize for it.”
“Tell Me You Love Me”
“The first time I heard it, it really stuck with me because at the time I was going through a breakup. … It’s about the vulnerability of coming out of a very serious relationship and having a tough time with it. … It also at the same time calls out a big misconception with the line, ‘You ain’t nobody ’til you got somebody,’ which again comes from that vulnerability with mixed emotions.”
“Sexy Dirty Love”
Lovato simply says that this song is about the beginning of a relationship where everything is exciting and sexy.
“You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore”
“Everyone relates to this song differently, and that’s the beauty of music. You’re allowed to connect with a song in the way that you choose. For some people this song is about the end of a relationship, but for me, it’s a goodbye letter to my old self and some of my destructive behaviors. So it’s deeply personal.”
“Daddy Issues” and “Concentrate”
“I knew I wanted to record this song the second I heard it. It’s both soulful and playful — not to mention, very sexy.”
“Ruin the Friendship”
“This is a song about wanting to get out of the friend zone with someone you have a close friendship with. This song is sexy, fun and a little scandalous. A lot of us have experienced this at some point in our lives, whether it’s a close colleague you want to hook up with or a best friend you grew up with. This song is about wanting to take that next step in unchartered territories.”
“Only Forever”
“This is a song about wanting the person you want to explore a new relationship with to make that first move or take that next step. It’s almost a sequel to ‘Ruin the Friendship.’ A lot of times that waiting games feels like forever. I was feeling a lot of emotions when I wrote this song. It’s about giving someone chances that will last a lifetime.”
“Lonely” (ft. Lil Wayne)
“‘Lonely’ is about the times in our lives when we’ve felt overwhelmingly lonely in a relationship. You know the person you yearn for is toxic, but you’re still desperately trying to get their attention.”
“Cry Baby”
“This song is about becoming something or someone that you’re not. There are people in our lives who bring out a completely different side of us, and that’s what this song is about.”
“Games”
“Music is such a great outlet for expressing emotions, and I wrote this song during a very frustrating time. It’s about playing games when I got out of a relationship and started dating again. This was something that was totally foreign to me, so it caused a lot of confusion and frustrations. And that’s what I wrote this song about.”
“Hitchhiker”
“This song is both sexy and a little risky. It’s about experimenting with that special someone and going on an adventure with them.”
The Tell Me You Love Me Pop-Up Shop located at the High Line Gallery will be open to the public today (Sept. 29) and Saturday (Sept. 30) from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the first 400 fans on arrival today get wristbands for the album signing.