Tell Me You Love Me is the sixth studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 29, 2017, by Island, Hollywood, and Safehouse Records. Primarily a soul and R&B record, the album was described by Lovato as having a more "soulful" side than her previous work. She named Christina Aguilera, Aretha Franklin, and Kehlani as its major influences. Contributions to Tell Me You Love Me production came from various producers, including Mitch Allan, David Massey, Oak Felder, Stint, and John Hill.
The lead single "Sorry Not Sorry" went on to become Lovato's highest-charting single in the United States, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The title track was released as the second and final single, peaking at number 53 on the Hot 100 and later was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.
Tell Me You Love Me received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised its production and Lovato's emotive vocal performance, with some deeming it her finest album to date. It charted within the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To support the album, she embarked on the Tell Me You Love Me World Tour in 2018. On May 7, 2021, Lovato released previous Target-edition bonus tracks "Smoke & Mirrors" and "Ready for Ya" as part of the deluxe version of Tell Me You Love Me.
Recording and development Following her fifth studio album, Confident (2015), Lovato discussed with Latina magazine wanting her follow-up album to have a "more soulful vibe". In October 2016, she announced via Twitter her plans to take a break from music and the spotlight in 2017, stating: "I'm not meant for this business or the media." After once stating that another album would not follow until 2018, Lovato revealed in August 2017 that doing charity work earlier that year rejuvenated her enough to create music again, which eventually led to an album. She also mentioned how its title and release date had been chosen, but was not allowed to disclose them at the time.
For Tell Me You Love Me, Lovato was influenced by multiple artists, including Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, and Kehlani. According to her, the album was heavily inspired by Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped (2002), calling it "a breakout album that really transformed [Aguilera] into the icon that she is today". Lovato worked with producers Pharrell Williams and Mike Will Made It, but she stated that their work would not be featured on the album.
Composition Tell Me You Love Me is primarily a soul and R&B album. Lovato adopted R&B as a key to achieve her desired "mature" sound; according to her, she wanted to make sure that this "album showcased her voice." On the other hand, she also deemed Tell Me You Love Me a "soulful" record, as she explained to Time magazine, its sonority serves as a real representation of who she was artistically and personally at that moment. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic perceived, although there are ghosts of traditional soul threaded through the record, "the production is firmly modern, filled with electronic flair and allusions to hip-hop rhythms."
Songs The opener "Sorry Not Sorry" contains multiple synthesized effects such as handclaps, finger snaps, a distorted bass voice, and club synths. These effects are intercepted with a heavy bassline, hip hop beats, and gospel-infused piano notes. Elias Leight of Rolling Stone noted that Lovato expands to fill the track's empty space by "belting her non-apology with the vindictive force of someone who knows their actions are justified". According to Lovato, "Sorry Not Sorry" is a song for the "haters" with the message: "You know what? I'm good now, and sorry I'm not sorry that you may not be loving where your life is at the moment."
The title track is a gospel-influenced ballad, instrumentally complete with horns, percussive drums, handclaps, and wah-wah guitar lines. Lovato explained that the song is about "the vulnerability of coming out of a very serious relationship and having a tough time with it" and further commented that lines like "You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody" causes "a big misconception". Exhibiting influences from 1980s and 1990s musical styles, "Sexy Dirty Love" has an uptempo danceable rhythm that blends funk and disco as well as R&B and electro genres. It narrates a romantic encounter initiated via web with Lovato singing about fantasy through the phone in the first verse.
Composed in a compound time signature, "You Don't Do It for Me Anymore" features a slow tempo subdued beat and strings chords. Rob Arcand of Billboard wrote that her vocal range reaches "near-Adele limits in melisma and virtuosity". The lyrics reflect about a past situation in a negative relationship with an abusive partner with the singer expressing that its presence is not as necessary as before. Although it's written in a perspective of an ended relationship, Lovato explained that the song is a look back at her personal struggles and addictions, saying: "I sang [it] with a lot of emotion because it reminded me of my relationship with my old self that I don't relate to anymore."
The electronic song "Daddy Issues" sees Lovato singing about a torrid affair with an older man explaining that she has some issues and certain behaviors caused by her relationship with her father. Lovato confessed that the lyrics were ones she came up with, based on her own experiences. Its synthpop production contains heavy stuttering synth drops and keyboard effects. In "Ruin the Friendship", Lovato invites a special friend to take their relationship to a romantic level, appreciating his appearance and confessing her sexual intentions with him. During the verses, she sings accompanied by a bass guitar and a tenor saxophone. With a melodic horn section during the chorus, the song features and contains a smooth, slow-burn atmosphere reminiscent of jazz music. Its sound also demonstrates influences from traditional rhythm and blues.
"Only Forever" is a melancholic song about wanting the person you want to explore a new relationship with to make that first move or take that next step. With a message of "giving someone chances that will last a lifetime", Lovato considered "Only Forever" as a sequel to "Ruin the Friendship". The song also has a connection with her personal experiences and was used in a sequence of ad campaigns for the fashion brand Dior, promoting the brands "Dior Forever" makeup collection. "Lonely" is a duet with rapper Lil Wayne that finds Lovato as a protagonist expressing angriness and disappointment about the behavior of an abusive partner with Wayne's verses reiterating these feelings. Its production, handled by DJ Mustard, features sparse, ambient synths in contrasts with a trap-inflected minimalist beat.
A downtempo ballad with influences from rock n' roll music, "Cry Baby" makes use of a pounding piano, snare and bass drums, and electric guitar riff slides. It shows Lovato singing about experiencing a dramatic romantic situation that alternates her solid personality, making her a fragile person. As she sings in the chorus, although her heart is the "hardest to break", a romantic interest made her cry and feel heartbroken. According to Lovato, "Games" is about "playing games when she got out of a relationship and started dating again". As Alexia Camp of Slant Magazine commented, it finds Lovato "giving as good as she gets when her object of affection sends mixed (text) messages". The twelfth track, "Hitchhiker", is an optimistic love song about taking an emotional leap with a stranger.
Release and promotion On August 23, 2017, Lovato posted an 18-second video to her Twitter account, in which she's seen singing the title track, "Tell Me You Love Me", in a recording studio. As the camera pans out, the footage appears to be reflected on Lovato's eye while zooming further back and unveiling the standard edition album cover; a black and white close-up photo of her face with the album title underneath. The album cover is then dimmed, to reveal the release date of September 29. Along with these, Lovato announced its availability for pre-order at midnight on August 24. On September 13, Lovato unveiled the tracklist with help from her fans on Twitter.
Lovato celebrated the album by hosting a live stream event with Vevo on September 29, where she discussed the album and delivered acoustic performances of "Sorry Not Sorry" and "Tell Me You Love Me". Lovato also partnered with audio electronics company JBL to host a pop-up exhibition in New York City, showcasing the album's editorial photography and custom murals inspired by the album, created by a painter Lora Zombie. On May 7, 2021, Lovato released previous Target edition bonus tracks "Smoke & Mirrors" and "Ready for Ya" as part of the deluxe edition.
Singles "Sorry Not Sorry" was released as Tell Me You Love Me lead single on July 11, 2017. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her highest-charting single there. On the same day, Lovato teased its music video in during an interview with Amazon Music, revealing that Paris Hilton, Wiz Khalifa, and among others would be featured on it. Shot on June 29 in California, the video was released on July 21. On December 15, 2023, "Sorry Not Sorry" was certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The title track "Tell Me You Love Me" was released as the first promotional single along with the album's pre-order on August 24, 2017. It was released as the second and final single on November 14. The accompanying music video directed by Mark Pellington was released on December 1, featuring Jesse Williams. After being released as a single, the song debuted and later peaked at number 53 on the Hot 100. RIAA certified "Tell Me You Love Me" 2× Platinum on January 8, 2020.
"You Don't Do It for Me Anymore" was released as the second promotional single on September 8, 2017. The track sold 12,757 copies in its first week of release, peaking at number 40 on the US Digital Song Sales chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 15, 2023. The third promotional single, "Sexy Dirty Love", was released on September 22, 2017, selling 8,486 copies in its first week of release.
Tour
On October 26, 2017, Lovato announced she was going on tour. It began in San Diego on February 26, 2018, and concluded on July 22 in Paso Robles. The tour's supporting acts included DJ Khaled, Kehlani, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Jauregui, Jax Jones, Joy, Iggy Azalea, Lauv, and Becky G. The tour's opening North American leg grossed $20.2 million from 20 shows between February 26 and April 2, 2018, with 262,403 tickets sold.
Critical reception
Tell Me You Love Me received generally positive reviews from music critics.