It wasn’t even going to be on my album because I was kind of afraid to sing the song. It’s a very powerful statement … about owning yourself and controlling yourself. It’s part of evolving, of growing up and becoming a woman."

Via TheAge

In a 2006 interview with Nerve, Dianne Warren went in depth into how much the song means to her:

One of the songs I wrote and have coming out is called “I Belong to Me,” by Jessica Simpson. Which is ironically not on her album, because they threw it off right before the album came out, and then they found out it was the hit. But that’s one of the closer songs to me, because I feel that. I don’t need someone to complete me. I complete myself. I don’t believe that you need a person to complete you. That’s my philosophy."