The simple, electrifying realisation that the right person doesn't just make you happy — they make you like yourself
"I Like Me Better" captures a feeling that's more profound than it first appears. On the surface, it's a catchy pop song about liking someone. But the title says something deeper: "I like me better." Not "I like you." Not "I love being with you." But: when I'm around you, I like myself more. You make me feel like the version of me I actually want to be.
That distinction is everything. Lauv — real name Ari Leff — has said he can be "very self-critical," someone who struggles with self-doubt and doesn't always see the good in himself. When he started dating someone as a freshman at NYU, she changed that. Not by fixing him or telling him what to do, but simply by bringing out qualities he didn't know he had. She made him see himself through kinder eyes.
The song was written in a single sitting, in his bedroom, and Leff has called it the fastest song he ever wrote. He sat down at a new synth, played some chords, and the emotions started "flying around the room." He hummed the post-chorus into his iPhone because the melody arrived faster than he could play it. That urgency is audible in the finished track — it pulses with the breathless energy of a feeling that's too big to contain.
Musically, the song is built on a deceptively simple structure: a bouncy synth riff, clean production, and a vocal that sits right in the space between singing and talking. It sounds effortless, almost casual — the way someone might actually say "I like me better when I'm with you" to someone over dinner. That conversational quality is what makes it feel real rather than performed.
For anyone who has ever felt like they don't quite measure up — too awkward, too insecure, too critical of themselves — this song offers a beautiful possibility: there might be someone out there who sees the best in you before you see it yourself. And being near them is enough to make you believe it too.
What it means: In her presence, he becomes a version of himself he actually likes — more confident, more generous, more at ease. She doesn't change him; she reveals him.
Why it matters: This is the entire thesis of the song in one line. It reframes love not as something you receive but as something that transforms how you see yourself.
What it means: The connection was immediate and certain. From the very beginning, he knew this wasn't temporary — he'd be here for the long haul.
Why it matters: It captures the rare experience of meeting someone and knowing, instantly, that they matter. Not hope, not attraction — knowledge.
What it means: A specific, vivid setting — being young, in love, in one of the most romantic and chaotic cities in the world. Everything feels possible.
Why it matters: New York City is a character in this song. It represents the excitement, the overwhelm, and the feeling that love in a big city makes you feel both tiny and infinite at the same time.
What it means: He can't define the emotion precisely — it's bigger than any label — but he knows it's significant. Something rare is happening.
Why it matters: This honesty about not having the words is itself the most articulate thing in the song. Sometimes the most genuine response to a powerful feeling is: I don't know what this is, but it matters.
Lauv released "I Like Me Better" in May 2017 while still relatively unknown. It grew slowly through Spotify playlists and word of mouth before becoming a genuine hit, eventually peaking at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and surpassing 2 billion Spotify streams — making it one of the most-streamed indie pop songs in the platform's history.
Ari Leff grew up in San Francisco, studied music technology at NYU's Steinhardt School, and built his career entirely from his bedroom, writing, producing, and recording everything himself. "I Like Me Better" was the song that proved a solo bedroom producer could compete with major-label pop — it sounded as polished and immediate as anything on the radio, despite being made by one person with a synth and a laptop.
The song arrived at the beginning of a wave of male pop artists who embraced emotional vulnerability — alongside Troye Sivan, Shawn Mendes, and later Conan Gray. Lauv's contribution was specific: he wasn't dramatic about his feelings. He was casual about them, almost matter-of-fact, which made his vulnerability feel more genuine than theatrical. "I like me better when I'm with you" is the kind of thing a real person might actually say to another real person — and that's exactly why millions of listeners heard themselves in it.
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| I like me better | I have a higher opinion of myself; I feel more comfortable and confident in my own skin | "Since I started painting, I like me better — I've found something I'm actually good at." |
| stay for a long time | To commit, to remain present in someone's life — not just passing through | "He wasn't the type to leave. When he showed up, he stayed for a long time." |
| somethin' special | Something rare, unique, and worth paying attention to — used casually but with real weight | "There's somethin' special about the way she laughs." |
Lauv is the stage name of Ari Staprans Leff, an American singer-songwriter and producer born in 1994 in San Francisco and raised across multiple cities. He studied music technology at NYU and built his entire career from his bedroom, writing and producing every element of his music. "I Like Me Better" made him one of the defining voices of late-2010s indie pop, proving that emotional honesty and bedroom production can reach billions.
"I Like Me Better" teaches you one of the most useful emotional phrases in English: the idea of liking yourself better in certain contexts. It's how English speakers talk about self-improvement, healthy relationships, and the transformative power of the right people. For English learners, the vocabulary is accessible, the grammar is simple, and the message is profound: the best relationships don't require you to become someone else. They help you become more of who you already are.