"Demonstrate" is a song recorded by American recording artist JoJo, originally planned to be the lead single from her third studio album. It was written by JoJo, Daniel Daley, Anthony Jeffries and Noah "40" Shebib, the latter of whom also handled the song's production.
The song's development was conceived after JoJo released a cover version of the song "Marvins Room" by Drake, which was also produced by Shebib. Following critical acclaim, JoJo organised recording sessions with the producer to find a new more confident sound for her much-delayed third album. JoJo went on to announce that the R&B song was to serve as the album's lead single, replacing "Disaster", which was released almost a year prior.
"Demonstrate" made its world premiere online and was sent to US radio on July 17, 2012. It was scheduled for release to digital outlets on August 28, 2012 but its release was eventually scrapped. Upon its release, "Demonstrate" received favorable reviews from critics who generally praised the maturity of the song; some noted its similarities to Kelly Rowland's 2011 single "Motivation". On December 21, 2018, JoJo released a re-recorded version of the song as a standalone single from her label Clover Music.
Background
JoJo's third studio release, which was announced in 2007, was originally slated to be titled "All I Want Is Everything"; this was announced to have been retitled to "Jumping Trains" in 2011. The album was delayed multiple times due to difficulties with her record labels. Initially, the pop rock-influenced "Disaster" served as the album's lead single in the United States. However, JoJo later decided to move into a different direction musically, and announced that instead, "'Demonstrate'" would serve as the album's lead single.
"Demonstrate" made its world premiere online and on US radio on July 17, 2012, and was scheduled for worldwide release to digital outlets on August 28, 2012. However, its digital and radio releases were eventually scrapped due to continuous issues with her record label Blackground Records.
On December 20, 2018, JoJo surprised fans with the re-release of Demonstrate along with her self-titled debut album, sophomore album The High Road and single Disaster, released under JoJo's new label imprint Clover Music on December 21. The decision to re-record the singles and albums came from the unavailability of all of JoJo's original music released under Blackground Records from all streaming and digital selling platforms.
Music and lyrics
"Demonstrate" was written by JoJo, Daniel Daley, Anthony Jeffries and Noah "40" Shebib who also produced the track. "Demonstrate" is a R&B song with a length of 3 minutes and 30 seconds (3:30). The lyrics center around JoJo explaining that she'd prefer to express herself through actions rather than words, and are accompanied by a "synth-saturated beat". Music critics noted its similarities to Kelly Rowland's Motivation.
JoJo stated the single was recorded and inspired after the praise she got after she released her own version of Drake's "Marvins Room" (Take Care, 2011), titled "Can't Do Better". JoJo said that she was "a little apprehensive" of releasing the track due to its sexually explicit content, but also noted: "When people responded so well to my version of 'Marvin's Room' I think that it was reassuring to me of the direction I wanted to go in". When speaking about working with Canadian producer Noah "40" Shebib, she said: "It was my dream, I really wanted to get in with him; he's the most exciting producer I've ever worked with."