Meaning of “Solo” by Clean Bandit (ft. Demi Lovato)

“Solo” is a song by the Grammy Award-winning English EDM band Clean Bandit. The track features American singer/songwriter Demi Lovato on vocals. The lyrics of “Solo” see Lovato singing about her woes of living without a lover. The song centers on being single after the demise of a romantic relationship and trying to have a positive view of oneself and be confident and feel worthy despite the heartbreak caused by the breakup.

In an interview that Grace Chatto of Clean Bandit had with the British magazine OK, the singer said of “Solo” as a song that not only deals with the issue of missing one’s ex lover but it is also about finding the strength that lies within you and promising yourself that you are going “to be on your own” in spite of the sorrow. Chatto called the song one that she felt was “quite empowering”.

“I fell through the hole
Down at the bottom of your soul
Didn’t think you could go
So low
Look at what you’ve done
You’re losing me
Here’s what you’ve won
Got me planning to go
Solo
Solo”

More Detailed Analysis of “Solo”

This song is based on a real-life romantic experience that Grace Chatto, one of the members of Clean Bandit, went through. As explained, she’s the type who, if a relationship didn’t work out, would normally just move on to the next one without much of a second thought. 

But in this particular instance, she rather found herself having to take a step back and recover emotionally. Or put differently, Grace had become uniquely attached to her ex, in a way that no other man could take her place. And so is the character we find Demi portraying in “Solo”.

First of all the vocalist misses her ex, but it isn’t the type of situation where Lovato is relegated to a corner crying her eyes out. Instead, the vocalist is also out partying, but such that she is ‘dancing on her own’.  Or put otherwise, even though there’s guys trying to kick it to her throughout, Demi simply isn’t attracted to them and therefore decides not to get close. 

And as for the nightlife, she may be partying alright but such that she “can’t even hear the music” while doing so, rather being preoccupied with her romantic loss.

Song’s Title

So as far as the title goes, that may be what the singer is alluding to in terms of ‘doing it solo’, i.e. dancing on her own, amongst other things. Indeed, it’s interesting to note that right before making that statement, she rather refers to having “nobody” to “touch”. 

So it may be Demi is also taking certain other matters into her own hands, if you know what we mean.  And indeed, it is a very less-than-ideal situation the vocalist has found herself in, not only being heartbroken but also such that no one can remedy this distress besides for her ex.

The lyrics of “Solo” are autobiographical

In another interview Chatto had with another British publication the London Evening Standard, she revealed to her fans that the song’s lyrics are autobiographical. According to her, the lyrics are based on the sadness she felt after she split from a significant other.

The Creation of “Solo”

“Solo” was written by b approximately 5 songwriters, including Grace Chatto and Demi Lovato. The others are: English multiple award-winning singer/songwriter Camille Purcell, Jack Patterson of Clean Bandit and British songwriter/producer Fred Gibson.

The production of the piece was handled by noted English record producer Mark Ralph and all the song’s writers with the exception of Purcell and Lovato.

Release Date

“Solo” officially came out on May 18th, 2018.

Since Clean Bandit and Lovato were unable to meet physically to record the track, they did it via FaceTime. Despite Lovato being in the United States and Clean Bandit being in the UK, the recording was able to take place thanks to FaceTime.

Some More Interesting Facts

Besides Lovato’s voice, there is another female voice on the track. That is the voice of the song’s co-writer Camille Purcell.

No member of Clean Bandit sings on this track.

Having reached the number 1 spot on the UK Singles Chart, “Solo” became Clean Bandit’s 4th single to reach number 1 in the United Kingdom. Owing to the song peaking at number 1 in the UK, Lovato got her first number 1 song in that country. Aside the United Kingdom, the song also reached number 1 in many countries, including Austria, Germany, Russia, Finland and Ireland. It also entered the top 10 in several countries across the world. On the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, “Solo” crawled to the number 58 position.

The music video of “Solo” stars all members of the band. It also stars Lovato.

Below is Clean Bandit performing “Solo” live with Demi Lovato at Capital FM’s 2018 Summertime Ball in London:

Few weeks after the above live performance, Lovato almost lost her life after an apparent drug overdose.  The sad incident occurred on July 24, 2018 at her home in Los Angeles.

Clean Bandit’s “What Is Love?”

On November 30 of 2018, the album, “What Is Love?” was officially released by British electronic music group, Clean Bandit.

The album was officially released into the public domain through American record label, Atlantic Recording.

During a review of the album, AllMusic’s Neil Z. Yeung gave it a score of 4 out of five stars. He further admitted it was “worth the long wait”.

“What Is Love?” peaked at No. 141 on the Billboard 200 and ranked top -10 in Finland, Hungary as well as the UK, peaking at No. 9 in all three countries.