“Eat Me” by Demi Lovato (ft. Royal & the Serpent)

In the here and now, Demi Lovato is a singer/songwriter who enjoys A list name recognition. But her fame is not solely attributable to her singing career, because prior to that she was a successful child actress working for big-name institutions such as PBS and the Disney Channel.

As liberal as those companies may be, by and large they and their affiliates pride themselves on maintaining a wholesome, family-friendly image. So when one of their youth alumni rather matures into someone quite different, as with Demi Lovato, sometimes there can be backlash – for lack of a more comprehensive word – on a number of levels.

The Lyrics of “Eat Me”

It would logically be from such a foundation that Lovato is emitting these lyrics. The key theme of the song, according to her own explanation, would revolve around taking a stand against conforming to the expectations of others.

Such a stance would be why for instance she’s telling the addressee that “the girl you adored” is now “dead”. Said “girl” would be a reference to herself. 

Basically what she’s saying in this regard, more euphemistically put, is that now, despite firmly remaining in the public spotlight, she’s no longer going to give in to the pressure of presenting herself as something she is not.

With that in mind, it should be noted that image-wise, Serpent & the Rainbow appears even more genuinely-countercultural than Lovato. And concerning their lack of conformity, both artists are known for instance to be supportive of the LGBT community. 

These days, dressing like a macabre punk rocker or openly supporting homosexuality may not be considered as taboo as in days past. However, they remain against the long-established traditional values of America. And what Demi and Royal are saying is that despite playing that game before, currently they are not compelled to conform to anyone else’s, i.e. the mainstream, expectations.

NOTE

Interesting to note is that along the way, Lovato sorta alludes to people’s obsession with her old, teenage self as perhaps having something to do with pedophilia. But the lyrics don’t really take it there. Instead, the thesis sentiment centers on the addressee. And this addressee would be authoritarians and criticizers.

The song’s lyrics encourage them to reach the point where they accept the vocalists – and by extension others like them – as they are as opposed to how others feel they should be. But that said, as implied by the title, it isn’t like they care if such people change or not, as the likes of Demi and Serpent are resolved to do their thing regardless.

Royal & the Serpent

The featured vocalist on this song, Royal & the Serpent, is actually a project held down by a single individual, one Ryan Santiago, who hails from New Jersey. The singer has thus far released four EPs as well as a slew of singles, and her signature song up until this point would be 2020’s “Overwhelmed”.

Release of “Eat Me”

“Eat Me” was released through Island Records on 19 August 2022 as part of Demi Lovato’s album titled “Holy Fvck”.

It is the first time the Serpent has dropped a track with Demi.

And by the way, other notable songs from “Holy Fvck” include:

• “Skin of My Teeth”
• “Substance”
• “29”

Credits

The three producers of this song are: Keith Sorrells, Alex Niceforo and Oak. In addition to producing it, they also co-wrote it with the following:

• Royal & the Serpent
• Laura Veltz
• Demi Lovato