Like a phoenix from the ashes, Demi Lovato is rising from the aftermath of her public breakup with actor Max Ehrich. The singer released a heartbreaking new single, “Still Have Me,” on her social-media accounts this morning. A snippet of the song had been leaked previously, but the full version blows it away. “Music is always there for me,” she wrote in the announcement on Twitter. The song’s soft piano melody carries Lovato as she processes her emotions. “I’m a mess and I’m still broken,” she opens. “But I’m finding my way back / And it feels like someone’s stolen / All the light I’ve ever had.” In the chorus, she breathes life into us all with a climbing “I don’t have much, but at least I still have me.” She’s patient but determined, sad but not empty, and I’m writing this from a puddle of tears.
Lovato’s two-month engagement to Ehrich ended this September, seven months into their whirlwind quarantine romance. “I’ve never felt so unconditionally loved by someone in my life (other than my parents) flaws and all,” Demi wrote in the Instagram post announcing their engagement. Their public woes began when fans uncovered Ehrich’s old social-media posts flirting with Selena Gomez, commenting on other celebrities’ posts, and apparently bashing Lovato. The “OK Not to Be OK” singer called the screenshots fake in a statement on Instagram, but the relationship was reported as over just two weeks later. Ehrich claimed he first found out about the breakup through the tabloids while on set September 26. On September 28, he posted, “One chapter finally closed this am.” Ultimately, lovers will come and go, but Demi Lovato will always have a voice designed by the gods.
