What Other People Say
by Demi Lovato (featuring Sam Fischer)

Album: Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over (2021)
Charted: 58
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Songfacts®:

  • Sam Fischer originally wrote this confessional ballad before his single "This City" reached the charts worldwide in 2020. The Australian artist always knew it would be a duet and was thrilled when Demi Lovato agreed to accompany him on vocals. Released on February 4, 2021, Lovato included it on her seventh studio album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over.
  • This emotional power ballad finds both singers giving their perspectives on being people pleasers. Lovato begins the track by outlining how she lost her individuality because she didn't want to let people down.

    Fischer comes in on the second verse during which he confesses how far away he got from his real self in an effort to be liked. Because of the pressures of society, he got caught up with the wrong things.

    After sharing their two different standpoints, the two unite on the chorus, where they lament the loss of who they truly are for the sake of caring what other people say about them. Demi said she wanted to record the song with Fischer because "ultimately it's about two humans coming together to connect and find solutions to their problems."
  • Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato wrote the song with frequent Shawn Mendes collaborator Geoff Warburton, and the track's producer Ryan "Rykeyz" Williamson (Nick Fradiani's "Beautiful Life," CNCO's "Pretend").
  • Dano Cerny directed the subway-themed music clip. Lovato explained in a Vevo Footnotes Video that she met Fischer for the first time on set, and had "instant chemistry." She added: "You can feel connected to someone out there that's going through the same thing you're going through, even though you've never met. I think in these times of isolation and loneliness, it's a really important and timely message."
  • Alicia Keys and Khalid's 2020 single "So Done" has a similar concept of being crippled by fear of what others think of them. In their instance, they have learned to live their lives the way they want to.
  • Fischer later included a solo version of the song on his 2023 debut studio album, I Love You, Please Don't Hate Me.

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