Media Product Review: "Sober", by Demi Lovato


Every once in awhile I'll come across a song that stops me in my tracks. "Sober" is definitely one of those songs. I first came across this song in my suggested videos on Youtube a couple of weeks ago, but after the recent tragic news of Demi Lovato relapsing and ending up in the hospital, I've seen the song all over the place. The song itself is very new, and it was released unexpectedly, so that coupled with the fact that Demi Lovato has been in the hospital means that there's only a couple performances of the song, but here's my favorite one:
It's clear to see in the video above the amount of emotion that went into the writing of this song, and it's obvious that Demi struggles to sing it without getting overly emotional. The reason that this is my favorite performance of the song has very little to do with the performance itself. Even though the song was brand new at the time of this show (it had been released only three days before this show ), the entire audience was singing every word. It's clear to see the impact that the song already was having on the masses. "Sober" was the number one song on iTunes in twelve different countries, and has gotten nothing but praise from Billboard (Source), one of the top authorities on popular music in America.

For those that keep current with the happenings in the entertainment industry, it's no secret that Demi Lovato has battled addiction along with other similar personal demons. And for those who don't live under a rock, it's no secret that she nearly lost her life due to a drug overdose just a week ago (Source).  Demi has been very open and honest with the public throughout the last five or six years, admitting that she suffers from a drug and alcohol addiction, an eating disorder, Bipolar disorder, and that she has self harmed often in the past and contemplated taking her own life (Source).

The honesty in this song is unlike any other song that I can think of, either by Demi Lovato or any other artists. There's something so raw and vulnerable about the lyrics, and it sets it apart from other work in the industry right now. Demi has never been a stranger to honesty in her music, but this is certainly one of her most honest and open songs to date, if not her most.

this song has been incredibly important in raising awareness and starting discussions about addiction and how powerful it can be. FBE, a big name in the Youtube world, made a reaction video for the song, and it was pretty powerful. Almost everyone has either struggled with some kind of addiction or been close with someone who has, but it doesn't generally get talked about. In that way, I think that the target audience of this song is anyone who needs to hear it. It's very stigmatized and often not treated like a disease, but this song really gives an insight to just how helpless this disease can make someone feel.


Before I heard this song I didn't follow Demi Lovato or her career at all. I never disliked her, but I just wasn't a fan. However since hearing this song and taking the time to learn about her story, I not only consider myself a fan of her music but also her as a person. The first time I listened to this song I cried like a baby and then replayed it at least three more times. Immediately after hearing the song I knew that I needed to talk to somebody about it, that I needed to discuss everything that I just heard and everything that I just felt because of what I heard. I played the song for my mom so that we could talk about it, and her reaction was very similar to my own. Everyone else that I've talked to about the song have also had similar reactions. I think that not only is it some of the best work ever done by Demi Lovato, but the best that I've heard from anyone in a long time. I'm not the only one singing high praises for the song (Source). 

This song was released with no warning, no advertising, no build up. Demi posted it on Instagram with a caption saying "My truth", and that was it. Because of how powerful the song is though, it didn't matter that there was no pre-release hype. This song is on a completely different level than anything else that's out there right now. I'm going to go as far as saying that I personally think it's one of the most important songs that I've ever heard. The discussions that it has started have been a long time coming, and I honestly believe that this song has and will help a lot of people through tough times. I know that it has already helped me more than I can even share. 




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