Songfacts®:

• Hailee Steinfeld says "Love Myself" is a self-empowerment anthem, but she didn't write it. Julia Michaels, who wrote it with Justin Tranter, revealed the true meaning in an interview with The New York Times. "It's very clearly about masturbation," she said.
• This club-ready banger is the debut single by Hailee Steinfeld, who at the time was best known as an actress. Her first major role was in the 2010 movie True Grit when she was just 13. There was little chance of her breaking into song in that film (it's a Western), but in 2015 she showed she could sing when she appeared in Pitch Perfect 2. "Love Myself" was released a few months later.
• Hailee Steinfeld, who is adept at hitting certain talking points when promoting movies, followed the empowerment storyline when discussing the meaning of "Love Myself" in the press. Here's what she told Ryan Seacrest: "It is ultimately about taking care of and indulging yourself. Though it's nice to have someone provide for you - whether that be emotionally, or physically, or with material things - this song really represents the power in providing for yourself."
  
  Discussing the song with New York's Z100, Steinfeld said: "We're fed this false sort of sense of what we're supposed to be like in order to love ourselves. I think this song... kind of highlights the power of loving yourself and empowering yourself."
• The song was produced by the Swedish pair Mattman & Robin along with their countryman Oscar Holter. All three have songwriting credits on the track along with Julia Michaels, and Justin Tranter. Other Mattman & Robin productions include "Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE and Jason Derulo's "If I'm Lucky."
• "Love Myself" was a youthful collaboration. Steinfeld was just 18 when the song was released, and co-writer Julia Michaels (Justin Bieber's "Sorry," Selena Gomez's "Good For You") was 21. Michaels told Billboard magazine that it's because she's so young that "Selena and Hailee feel comfortable enough to tell me how they feel and know that I'm going to do what they say justice by putting it in a song."
• The video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis, who is used to spreading the love: her credits include Ariana Grande's "Love Me Harder" and Lil Wayne's "Love Me."
  
  To make the video, a mirrored cube emblazoned with the selfie-ready hashtag #lovemyself was placed in various locations around Los Angeles, with cameras capturing reactions as people walk by. Steinfeld appears wearing a top that says "self service" as she sings from a rooftop.
• Hailee Steinfeld gave the song its world-premiere performance at the Streamy Awards on September 17, 2015. The Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, recognize and honor excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing.
• "Love Myself" was a great entryway into music for Steinfeld. Looking back in a 2019 interview with Wired, she said: "That song represents self love and self confidence and that sort of self reassurance. I was so happy that it was a song that not only was a message I could give to my fans, but a reminder to myself, especially during that time of jumping into the music space, because that was a little scary."