Frankie Grande unveiled his empowering new single, “I Got Me,” on Friday (Nov. 22).
On the vulnerable anthem, the singer finds strength in embracing his sobriety while simultaneously looking back on the journey he’s taken to reach a place of radical self-acceptance. Grande’s mother, grandmother and younger sister Ariana Grande all earn lyrical shout-outs on the track, as he points to their support in helping him become the self-assured person he is today.
“I got the women in my life, three generations of fierce/ Brothers and friends who stand by me if my armor gets pierced/ I own my pride and my purpose, a leather jacket and some heels/ If inner strength is a drug/ Well honey, I’m the dealer,” he croons before launching into the track’s rollicking pre-chorus.
“‘I Got Me’ is about celebrating self-love and empowering yourself, so that people know their own self-worth and don’t enter into a toxic or codependent relationship where they self-sacrifice like I used to,” Grande tells Billboard, who sat down with “I Got Me” songwriter Jeremy Schonfeld ahead of its composition ?to talk about what he wanted the song to convey. “I have a supportive boyfriend, I am sober and I am in such a wonderful place, so I wanted to empower people to love themselves like I have learned to do, and it means so much to me.
“The song is a love letter to my fans and everyone who helped me achieve so much in my life and career.”
The single’s accompanying music video will premiere exclusively on Grande’s new Twitch channel, which he’s launching on Monday (Nov. 25) with boyfriend Hale Leon.
“I really believe in Twitch and what I’m planning to build there. I knew I wanted to find a special way to bring awareness to my channel and suddenly it all came together with the perfect combination of wanting to release this song, and create a special video exclusive for the platform. I had actually recorded this song three years ago and it has been sitting on the shelf ever since because when I initially recorded it, I didn’t have the amazing sense of self that I have now. I was weak, scared, and uncertain of my future and the confident lyrics did not fit the person at that time who was actually singing it,” he explains. “Having access to Twitch really inspired me to find a home for this song; a place that really gave it some meaning. So now, this song that I co-created and sang years ago, finally has a purpose and reflects my authentic self. Which truly all came together because of my plans for Twitch and my boyfriend Hale.”