Whoever said that loving yourself is a selfish act was sorely mistaken. The truth is, self-love is an absolutely essential element of being able to truly love others, and music can be a powerful force in helping us learn to accept ourselves and find comfort in our own skin.
So, whether it’s a slow-paced ballad to ease you into self-love or an upbeat jam to help keep your spirits high, here are 20 of the best R&B songs about self-love.
1. No Scrubs by TLC
Key Lyrics
No, I don’t want no scrub
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
Hangin’ out the passenger side of his best friend’s ride
Trying to holla at me
I don’t want no scrub
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
Hangin’ out the passenger side of his best friend’s ride
Trying to holla at me
Next: R&B Songs about Summer
2. Independent Women Part I by Destiny’s Child
Key Lyrics
Question, tell me what you think about me
I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings
Only ring your celly when I’m feelin’ lonely
When it’s all over, please get up and leave
Question, tell me how you feel about this
Try to control me, boy, you get dismissed
Pay my own car note and I pay my own bills
Always fifty-fifty in relationships
Next: R&B Songs about Spring
3. Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj
Key Lyrics
I’m with some hood girls lookin’ back at it
And a good girl in my tax bracket
Got a black card that’ll let Saks have it
These Chanel bags is a bad habit
I-I do balls, Dal Mavericks
My Maybach, black matted
Next: R&B Songs about Thinking of Someone
4. Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande
Key Lyrics
I’ve got so much love (Love)
Got so much patience (Patience)
And I’ve learned from the pain (Pain)
I turned out amazing (Turned out amazing)
Say I’ve loved and I’ve lost (Yeah, yeah)
But that’s not what I see (Yeah, yeah)
‘Cause look what I’ve found (Yeah, yeah)
Ain’t no need for searching
And for that, I say
Thank you, next (Thank you, next)
Next: R&B Songs about Traveling
5. Love Yourself by Justin Bieber
Key Lyrics
‘Cause if you like the way you look that much
Oh baby, you should go and love yourself
And if you think that I’m still holdin’ on to somethin’
You should go and love yourself
Next: R&B Songs About Daughters
6. The Voice Within by Christina Aguilera
Key Lyrics
When there’s no one else
Look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend
Just trust the voice within
Then you’ll find the strength
That will guide your way
You’ll learn to begin
To trust the voice within
Next: R&B Songs about Love
7. Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston
Key Lyrics
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
Next: R&B Songs about Mama
8. ***Flawless by Beyoncé
Key Lyrics
You wake up (Flawless), post up (Flawless)
Riding ’round in it (Flawless), flossin’ on that (Flawless)
This diamond (Flawless), my diamond (Flawless)
This rock (Flawless), my Roc (Flawless)
I woke up like this, I woke up like this
We flawless, ladies, tell ’em
9. I Am Not My Hair by India.Arie Simpson
Key Lyrics
I am not my hair, I am not this skin
I am not your ex-pec-tations no no
I am not my hair, I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
10. After the Storm by Kali Uchis
Key Lyrics
So if you need a hero (If you need a hero)
Just look in the mirror (Just look in the mirror)
No one’s gonna save you now
So you better save yourself
And everybody’s hurting
Everybody’s going through it
But you just can’t give up now
‘Cause you gotta save yourself
Yeah, gotta hang on, baby
11. Pushover by Etta James
Key Lyrics
All of the girls… Think you’re fine
They even call ya Romeo
Ya gott’em… Yeah you gott’em runnin to and fro
Oh, yes you have
But I… I wouldn’t give in
All my love you would win
But ya haven’t… You haven’t won it yet
12. Lettin’ Go by Janelle Monáe
Key Lyrics
So I’ma let it go
Gonna leave my worries behind
Gotta take control
I just came to have a good time
I’ma let it go
No time for stress on my mind
I’m lettin’ go
13. Run the World (Girls) by Beyoncé
Key Lyrics
Boy, you know you love it
How we smart enough to make these millions
Strong enough to bear the children (Children)
Then get back to business
See, you better not play me (Me)
Oh, come here, baby
Hope you still like me, F-U, pay me
14. Unpretty by TLC
Key Lyrics
You can buy your hair if it won’t grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make-up
That M.A.C. can make, but if
You can’t look inside you
Find out who am I to
Be in the position that made me feel
So damn unpretty
Yeah, I’ll make you feel unpretty too
15. Masterpiece (Mona Lisa) by by Jazmine Sullivan
Key Lyrics
Every part of me is a vision of a portrait
Of Mona, of Mona Lisa
Every part of me is beautiful
And I finally see I’m a work of art
A masterpiece
Oh oh oh
16. Q.U.E.E.N. by Janelle Monáe
Key Lyrics
Am I a freak for dancing around? (Am I a freak?)
Am I a freak for getting down?
I’m cutting up, don’t cut me down (Don’t cut me, no)
Yeah, I wanna be, wanna be Queen (I just wanna be)
17. Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
Key Lyrics
She’s just a girl and she’s on fire
Hotter than a fantasy
Lonely like a highway
She’s livin’ in a world and it’s on fire
Filled with catastrophe
But she knows she can fly away
18. Self Love by Jayson Lyric and Nevaeh
Key Lyrics
I ain’t tryna be stubborn
But I could use some self loving
I ain’t gotta say nothing
They already know how I’m coming
I been working on me
I been loving on me
I had to learn to love myself
And no I don’t mind no help
19. Fuckin’ Perfect by Pink
Key Lyrics
Pretty, pretty please, don’t you ever, ever feel
Like you’re less than fuckin’ perfect
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel
Like you’re nothing, you’re fuckin’ perfect to me
20. Video by India.Arie Simpson
Key Lyrics
I’m not the average girl from your video (Oh)
And I ain’t built like a supermodel (Oh)
But I learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I’m wearing I will always be
India.Arie
Wrapping Up
A little self-love is not always selfish. It’s an important part of our lives, and sometimes we need a reminder that everything will be alright. These 20 R&B songs about self-love are sure to help you do just that! So take a few minutes out of your day to listen to any or all of these jams and find the peace and strength to love yourself and keep pushing forward. You’ll be glad you did.
