Brett Callwood
Demi Lovato
Tell Me You Love Me (Island/Hollywood/Safehouse)
Elle Baez Tells Demi Lovato She Loves Her: Trailblazing Latina artist Elle Baez told us about her love for a Demi Lovato gem.
(Island/Hollywood/Safehouse)
Elle Baez: Demi Lovato’s album Tell Me You Love Me is definitely one that has stuck with me as I have developed my own artistry. I listened to it in college and I feel like it was the soundtrack of that experience. It truly kept me listening track after track. I have always loved mixing pop with soul, r&b and gospel. Demi had tapped into those sounds but had yet to deliver an album full of it from head to toe.
I will never forget the summer when “Sorry Not Sorry” dropped. That song changed my life. I had never heard a sound that felt more like the sound I wanted to make with my own music. It is the perfect opening track for an album with the punch, confidence and sass. The way it explodes at the end and makes you feel invincible, that is the kind of women empowerment pop that I can’t help but play on repeat. It is the perfect blend of a radio hit pop song with gospel influence. Demi never disappoints with her riffs, high belts and whistles; SHE SERVES.
Then you get to “Tell Me You Love Me” , the album’s title track. This is pure soul and gospel. I mean, WHAT A BALLAD! The way that it perfectly depicts that yearning for someone to tell you that they love you. I have felt that struggle before and Demi knows how to give you pure emotion in her vocals. You really feel it when she sings. The background vocals are layered so choir-like that you feel like you’re in church. I grew up singing in choir so whenever I hear that sound in background vocals I melt.
The album also has great fun pop vibes like “Daddy Issues”, a song I would stomp all over Brooklyn jamming to on my way to classes. I remember singing in my car “Ruin The Friendship” into “Only Forever” crying late at night just dying because I have felt that same pain of loving a friend who doesn’t love me back. The lyrics in this track always take me aback, basically telling someone you will wait for them “Only Forever” – what a way to say you will never stop loving them. The album’s r&b focused tracks like “Lonely” feat. Lil Wayne and the vintage 6/8 vibe “Cry Baby” just really deliver that extra sultry touch we were craving. The album ends your journey with two sweet soulful laidback tunes “Concentrate” and “Hitchhiker”, just pure vocals. I constantly turn to this album for inspiration and vocal influence.
Demi will always be an artist I admire and this album holds a special place in my heart.
Elle Baez Tells Demi Lovato She Loves Her: Elle Baez’s “I Love My Body” is out now.
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