16 Songs About Self Love, Confidence and Loving Yourself
We live in a world full of negative people that spew a lot of negative energy. Because of that, it’s always important to love yourself, and re-affirm that self love over and over again so it sinks into your soul.
That’s why, in this article, I’m going to provide you with my favorite songs about self love. I have no doubt that, by the end of this article, you will have found more than a handful of songs you can play whenever you’re in need of an emotional pick-me-up!
Songs About Self Love and Confidence You’ll Love
Let’s kick off this list with a song from an unexpected source–the musical The Greatest Showman.
This is Me by The Greatest Showman Cast
We had to start with this total ANTHEM. The music production, the movie behind the song, the lyrics, the video…Ugh, it’s TOO perfect! If you’ve never watched the film, we don’t want to ruin it for you. But you should probably go do that, as it’s a game changer.
If you’ve ever been called a freak or been left out, then this song (and the characters who sing it) will make you feel like you’re finally seen. And they’ll also remind you just what you are worth. Hint; it’s a lot!
- “I am brave, I am bruised. I am who I’m meant to be, this is me.”
Used to Be Mine by Sara Bareilles
Sara Bareilles is all about honesty and introspection. This is the same woman who brought us gems like, “Love Song” and “Brave,” for crying out loud. Did you think that was all she had left in the tank?
Not a chance.
In fact, it’s almost like this woman is on a mission to make the whole world accept and love themselves all a little bit more. And you know what—I’m not mad at that. But here, the mission is actually somewhat more somber. On this track, our songstress is remembering the fiery person she used to be, as she’s realizing she lost herself somewhere along the way.
- “She is all of this mixed up. And baked in a beautiful pie. She is gone but she used to be mine.”
Love Myself by Andy Grammar
Songs about self love by male artists are a bit harder to find. And it makes sense. We’re not going to get too deep, but there is still a lot of stigmas around men sharing their emotions. Especially those related to doubts about self worth. It seems as though men are only supposed to strong, confident, in love or heartbroken about romantic breakups.
But on “Love Myself,” Andy breaks that mold and questions why he can accept love, and even give love, to everyone else in his life but himself. If artists like Grammar keep putting songs like this one out into the either, well, there’s no stopping how many hearts and minds might get changed along the way.
- “I want to love myself without needing someone’s help”
All I Know So Far by Pink
Pjnk has been pretty open in her music about her feelings of being an outcast. Her earlier songs often convey the fact that she’s not a bubblegum pop princess—and she never will be.
Other songs depict the troubles she faced after getting married and how her confidence was affected by it. She’s basically grown up in our ears! But now she’s a mom, and she’s learned a lot about loving herself and accepting who she really is. And it’s time to pass those lessons down. At least, the ones she’s learned so far.
- “Stay unfiltered and loud. You’ll be proud of that skin full of scars. That’s all I know so far.”
We’re the Cool Kids by Ryan Cassata
Ryan Cassata keeps it simple in “We’re the Cool Kids.” He and his friends are trying to start a movement, and they’re not going to stop. He knows a lot about determination, as Cassata is a trans artist that often speaks about social issues. On this song, the lyrics and rock beat will hype you up and make this a great song to start your day with (or one to throw on whenever you need some encouragement).
- “Cause we’re the cool kids. We’re starting this movement. We’re the cool kids. You better get used to it.”
I Love Myself by Ciara featuring Macklemore
This combination is fantastic. On “I Love Myself,” Ciara sings the melody about realizing that she needs to love herself in order to have the life she wants. And that’s not a selfish thing—it’s a smart thing. Rap artist Macklemore also comes in here with lyrics about trying to raise daughters to love themselves, as well.
But there’s one problem here: how can he teach what he isn’t sure he’s learned to do himself? You gotta love a song that’s willing to dive into the waters of self reflection.
- “My children, I’m trying to teach them to love themselves. But I can’t expect it if I haven’t accepted myself.”
Broken and Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson
Self-acceptance is not about telling yourself that everything about you is perfect. Everyone has flaws. Acceptance, as it pertains about self love, is about loving every inch of yourself—inside and outside—despite the flaws.
And that’s just what Kelly has decided to do. Yeah, she’s broken. And she’s tired. But she doesn’t need or want to be fixed by anyone. Her broken pieces make her the mother, and amazing woman, that she has become. And that’s beautiful.
- “I’m phenomenal and I’m enough. I don’t need you to tell me who to be.”
One Man Can Change the World by Big Sean ft. Kanye West and John Legend
No money brags or ego trips here, as these three guys got together to make an incredibly beautiful and heartfelt song about the lessons they learned along this journey called life. Achieving dreams isn’t easy, but the artists here tell us that believing in yourself is the first step.
The lyrics teach us that Big Sean’s grandmother, Mildred, was a huge inspiration for him, as she taught him to love himself and persevere through all obstacles. In fact, speaking of obstacles, Mildred V. Leonard was actually one of the first black female captains for the American Army.
- “I hope you learn to make it on your own. And if you love yourself just know you’ll never be alone.”
Love Myself by Olivia O’Brien
People are hard to please. And it seems like no matter what you do, some people will just refuse to stop criticizing you.
So, what is there to do?Well, Olivia has the answer: stop caring what everyone else thinks! As long as you know that you’re a decent person and that you love yourself, why should everyone else’s opinion matter?
Olivia knows she doesn’t have everything figured out about her life yet. But she also knows that no one else is going to figure it out for her.
- “I don’t need to know who I am yet. I don’t need to have a solid plan yet.”
I Am Light by India Arie
Quadruple Grammy winner Indie Arie released “I Am Light” in 2013, and then again in 2017, on the EP, “SongVersation: Medicine.” She has said that she intended the EP to be an album one would listen to while they meditate or pray.
And the song is definitely relaxing, so she hit the mark perfectly. But as easy as the song is to listen to, the lyrics hold some serious depth about self-reflection. She is not defined by outside factors, and neither are you. Her music truly is medicine for the soul.
- “I am not the pieces of the brokenness inside. I am light.”
Beautifully Human by Maddie Zahm
Maddie Zahm was on season 16 of the long running show “American Idol.” She didn’t win the show, but her voice definitely won over many fans! Her dedicated fan base supports her, as she continues to write and sing incredibly honest songs.
Some of the issues her songs discuss are her Idol loss, as well as her doubt and the way she views her body. “Beautifully Human” seems to mention the contest loss, but it comes back and reiterates the fact that even the things that seem like failures only add to the beauty that comes with being human.
- “That is not weakness or failures or less than the best. It’s proof that I am, I’m beautifully human.”
Answer: Love Myself by BTS
The song is in Korean, but there are music videos that use English captions to show what each lyric means. And whoa—these lyrics are deeply moving.
But true fans (aka, The BTS Army) know that the boys have many songs that go deeper than just being danceable pop tunes. In fact, they often try to put genuine messages of self love in a lot of their music. There are many interviews where different members of the band voice that they sometimes lose sight of their confidence. And that feeling inspires their desire to use their platform for good.
It’s a breath of fresh air hearing a whole group of guys focused on helping their fans learn to love themselves instead of just churning out cheesy love songs. Bravo fellas.
- “The thick tree rings in your life. It’s part of you, it’s you.”
Love Me More by Sam Smith
Sam Smith has been very outspoken about his self-doubt. But the journey Smith seems to be taking through music is very real and relatable. Previously released songs have depicted struggles with being loved, body issues, dealing with a partner’s infidelity, fears of relationships and being alone.
“Love Me More” takes a turn and tells the listener that Sam still gets down emotionally, but Sam’s also starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Learning to love oneself is actually getting easier. That’s what matters. Baby steps.
- “But lately it’s not hurting like it did before. Maybe I am learning how to love me more.”
Secrets by Mary Lambert
Mary’s tired of being secretive—and we’re here for it! Lambert goes on a song-long rant, exposing everything she once hid about herself to the world. She’s not skinny. She’s gay. Her life is messy. Oh, and she’s got a great butt. She wants us to know that, too (hey, if you got it, flaunt it).
Point is, she loves every bit of herself. The whole song kind of makes us want to see if we can turn our diary into a hit song, too. Maybe one day.
- “I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are.”
If You Don’t Love Yourself by The Script
The Script turns their attention on themselves. Our singer is aware that he’s still not great at loving himself. But he’s learning, and at least he’s honest about not being perfect at the whole process.
Then the lyrics turn towards the listener, as our crooner addresses that he sees they are cruel to themselves as well. The only difference is his honesty is helping him address his self image issues instead of being in denial of them.
- “How can you love if you don’t love yourself?”
I Love Me by Demi Lovato
It’s easy to forget just how awesome you are when it seems the world is only targeting your flaws. Demi knows that feeling to the core. Being in the public eye since being a kid has seriously skewed this singer’s confidence—and Demi knows it’s a problem.
But when you’ve heard criticism for so long, being mean to yourself becomes second nature. Eventually, bullies don’t even need to say anything because you’ve already beaten yourself up. In this song, Demi sings of a desire in wanting to love oneself rather than believing every single word someone else says about you.
- “Why am I always looking for a ride or die? ‘Cause mine’s the only heart I’m gonna have for life.”
Conclusion
The most seemingly confident people have moments of self-doubt. The most successful person you know may suffer with a fear of failure. Even those that seem to drip with self love have probably struggled at times of self-hatred.
As this list of songs about self-love shows, it’s actually more human to be imperfect than to be flawless!
In a world where everything on the ‘Gram seems to be photo-shopped or airbrushed, criticizing your own body comes too easily. Artificially made posts about traveling all over the world can make you feel as though your life isn’t glamorous as others.
Self love can be hard to come by when you feel like you’re not good enough. When comparing yourself to the world, something will always be off. Because you aren’t meant to be the world—you’re meant to be you.
You Might Also Like:
- Songs About Losing a Friend
- Songs About Good Men
- Songs About Empathy
- Songs About Being Lazy
- Songs About Arguments
- Songs About Trust
- Songs About Regretting Hurting Someone
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