 "Lotus Intro" is an electronic music song which lasts for a duration of 3: 17; it was inspired by Aguilera's passion for electronica. It has a "hypnotic" yet "dark, serious" tone which develops and matures as it progresses, depicting Aguilera's rebirth, similar to the life cycle of a Lotus Flower. The track opens with tribal chant by Aguilera, who sings the line "Rise up lotus, rise / This is the beginning" over a "heavy" hip hop beat. Aguilera sings the lyrics "I look at my reflection and embrace the woman I 've become / The unbreakable lotus in me, I now set free" over electronic "bleeps and beeps". Some of the opening lyrics, including "Rise up / This is the beginning" and "Leave the past behind", serve as a mission statement for the rest of the album. Despite claiming to "submerge from hurt, pain, broken pieces" and "leave the past behind / say goodbye to the scared child inside," Andrew Hampp for Billboard felt that the singer "still has a few scores to settle." According to Robert Copsey for Digital Spy, the singer explains how the a Lotus Flower is "the unbreakable flower" in the lyrics "To the sky I rise / Spread my wings and fly". He further wrote that the listener could be fooled by the title "Lotus Intro", as it is a full length song and not a short introduction. Sarah Godfrey for The Washington Post was critical of Aguilera's vocal performance, writing that although the singer's strength is her voice, she sounds "modulated beyond recognition".
