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TW: eating disorder, self-h*rm, r*pe, mental health, substance abuse, overdose.
Many of us are familiar with pop star Demi Lovato as many of us grew up alongside her. From her first big breakout role in Camp Rock (2008; Matthew Diamond) to her new album Dancing With the Devil…the Art of Starting Over, Demi has remained resilient in the face of adversity. It is clear that being in the spotlight from a young age negatively affects celebrities’ mental and physical health, and this is no different for Demi Lovato. Let’s take a closer look at Demi Lovato’s journey in the public eye.
The Early Days
Although perhaps most notably known as a singer, Demi Lovato actually got her start on television as an actress. She first starred in Barney and Friends (1992; Jim Rowley) alongside Selena Gomez as children. Demi starred on Barney for two years from 2002-2004 at the early age of seven. From there, Demi got a small role on a Disney Channel show called As the Bell Rings (2007; David McDonald). From there, Demi starred in the lead role in the movie Camp Rock and the rest is history. From there, she landed another lead role of her own Disney Channel original show Sonny With a Chance (2009; Eric Dean Seaton). She recorded a few songs with the Jonas Brothers for Camp Rock. She even starred alongside childhood best friend Selena Gomez in the Disney Channel original movie Princess Protection Program (2009; Allison-Liddi-Brown). Needless to say, Demi Lovato quickly became a common household name, especially for other children my age who watched her and grew up with her.
By 2008, Demi Lovato had released her first solo album titled “Don’t Forget.” The Jonas Brothers helped write some songs on the album, and as a result of the album’s success, Demi opened for the Jonas Brothers on their Burning Up Tour. Shortly after the next year, Demi released her second album and went on tour with the Jonas Brothers yet again. During this time, rumors circulated that she was romantically involved with Joe Jonas. This was also the first time fans saw a sign of her that we had not seen before. Demi got into a fight with a dancer while on tour and then revealed that she sought treatment for mental and physical health issues. Sometime later, the issues were revealed to be an eating disorder and self-harm. This was the beginning of Demi’s spiral that eventually led to her overdose.
Notable 2010s
After completing her treatment, Demi Lovato released another album, Unbroken. With powerful songs like “Skyscraper,” fans praised the singer for the hardships she had endured and admired that she seemed to come out stronger than ever before. After this album’s release, Demi went on to join the panel of judges on The X Factor (2011; Brian Friedman) to determine one winner who would receive a recording contract. Lovato was a judge on the show for two seasons before it was canceled. During her time on the show, Demi deviated away from her music career.
For this reason, she decided to leave the show in 2014 to focus on her music and go back to doing the thing that she loves the most. Although she credits The X Factor for helping her break away from her Disney Channel persona and allowing fans to get to know her away from her connection to Disney, she did not have any more time to write music. So, she decided to leave the show and write a new album.
Demi then went on her Neon Lights tour to promote her newest self-titled album, Demi. She toured for almost six months of early 2014. During her time on The X Factor and her Neon Lights tour, Demi became more candid about her mental health issues. She confessed that she had also been dealing with a substance abuse problem as well as bipolar disorder. The bipolar disorder was later revealed to be a misdiagnosis. Still, at the time, fans admired Demi even more than before for becoming so vulnerable and honest in the public eye. Demi Lovato was most definitely still an idol to her many fans around the world.
The following year, Demi once again released another album and went on tour. This album, Confident, received many positive reviews and once again was ready to go on tour. At the time, fans like myself couldn’t know the struggles and personal battles she was dealing with. All we saw was the happy version of Demi, who was excited to go on tour. We didn’t know she was also struggling with eating disorders, body image, substance abuse, and other mental health struggles. This proves that no matter what we might think we know, you can never know what they are going through without actually knowing a person.
From 2012-2018, Demi Lovato released album after album and continued to go on tour. She did not stop creating content and traveling for years. She clearly led a hectic lifestyle between releasing new music while also going on tour at the same time. Fans celebrated the singer on one of her Tell Me You Love Me tour nights that also happened to be her 6th sobriety anniversary. Fans cheered on as other celebrities like DJ Khaled and Kehlani congratulated Demi on her 6 years of sobriety. However, shortly after this concert, Demi released “Sober,” which told fans that she was not, in fact, completely sober. Once again, fans rallied behind Lovato and praised her for her honesty and vulnerability. She was once again seen as a role model for sharing her grievances with the world.
Dancing With The Devil (2021; Michael D. Ratner)
Demi Lovato has recently released a documentary called Dancing With the Devil (2021; Michael D. Ratner) on Youtube. A four-part series, this documentary takes us on an intimate journey through Demi’s career in the spotlight. We learn things that we might not have known before. Demi talks about everything honestly, from losing her virginity to rape to the horrible effects of her overdose. The candid documentary reveals to us that things were much more serious than we could have imagined.
The documentary gives us a lot of behind-the-scenes footage that we otherwise would not have seen. The audience learns that Demi was planning on releasing another documentary prior to DWTD. However, it was not released. Instead, what fans were given was a new documentary with old footage from the many tours that Demi had gone on. Demi talked about how the spotlight affected her growing up, always making her hyper-conscious of her body which led to body issues that impacted her eating disorder.
Demi Lovato also opens up about her overdose, telling fans how horrible it was. Not only was the heroin she had been given laced with fentanyl, but because of this, she suffered three strokes, a heart attack, brain damage and was legally blind upon waking up from her comatose state. To make matters worse, Demi was sexually assaulted by her drug dealer during her overdose, something she did not even realize until much later. We also learn that if Demi had been left alone for even five more minutes after her overdose, she would have died. Because everything was kept so secret at the time, fans like myself had no idea how bad her overdose actually was. All we knew was that she overdosed and was taken to the hospital. Upon release from the hospital, she entered a facility for treatment.
Along with the release of this documentary, Demi Lovato also released a new album Dancing With the Devil…the Art of Starting Over. Again, this album reveals Demi’s vulnerability and honesty with her fans and the public eye. This is apparent in songs like “Melon Cake,” where she talks about not eating melon cake (a watermelon instead of an actual cake) on her birthday, and also “Dancing With the Devil,” which alludes to Demi’s substance abuse. Demi has never been shy about being honest and speaking her truth, and she continues to prove this again and again, which I believe is the reason fans admire and look up to her so much.
Demi Lovato Today
Demi Lovato has been through more than most of us will ever go through in a lifetime in only a few years. She has consistently come out stronger on top and has proven her resilience again and again. She is truly a warrior and one of the strongest people I know of. For all of these reasons and many more, I have admired her since the fifth grade. She has been my role model from a young age, and I am grateful that I was able to grow up alongside her. From her rocky relationship with her father to long-time boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama to her short engagement with Max Ehrich, Demi Lovato has managed a lot when it comes to her relationships with those around her.
She resented her father because he also had a substance abuse problem and was abusive towards her mother. Lovato’s relationship with her birth father was complicated, which is apparent in her song “Father.” However, she didn’t let this stop her from growing and becoming the person she is today. Demi has remained honest, vulnerable, and passionate with her fans, music, and those around her through everything. DWTD just proves this. Unlike other celebrities who might try to hide their mental health issues and not talk about them, Demi Lovato is not afraid of being open and honest about all of her struggles and past experiences.
The Impact Of Demi’s Music
This truthfulness is what I believe has many fans praising her. One thing that has remained constant for most of her time in the spotlight is her music. Fans have watched and listened to her music evolve, change, and grow with her. From her first album Don’t Forget to her latest Dancing With the Devil…the Art of Starting Over, we have listened to her voice and songs mature. She doesn’t just sing about heartbreak anymore (not that there is anything wrong with that). She opens herself up through her music and lets fans into what her experience was like.
In the music video for Dancing With the Devil, Demi Lovato is in a hospital bed with tubes in and out of her body. Fans got a glimpse of what the artist went through during overdose in the music video. From the chain of events that led up to her overdose to her being in the hospital, the music video takes fans on a journey through the many complicated factors that led to Demi’s scary stay in the hospital. Again, Demi unapologetically speaks her truth and is not worried about offending anyone. The raw emotion and passion on her face during the music video also convey to fans the deeply complicated emotions that she must have been feeling during the events in real life. Demi Lovato’s music has continued to evolve and change over time and will continue to do so for as long as she makes music.
However, what has remained the same is the unwavering support from her fans. Being put on a pedestal from a young age comes with a lot of pressure, and we have seen the many ways this can negatively impact celebrities. Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato are just a few examples of this. There are many other stories we might never know. Demi’s resilience and dedication to her art is what fans admire about her most and what has kept fans dedicated to her for so long. Thanks to DWTD, fans could see an even more vulnerable side of Demi and understand everything that happened through Demi’s own mouth. She was able to tell her story in a way that made sense for her and that she felt comfortable. She has come a long way since she was on Barney and Friends, but through each hardship, she gets back up and tries again. She isn’t afraid to fail and has learned so much along the way. As for the future, Demi plans to release her own podcast, and I’m sure many other albums after that. I look forward to watching Demi’s Lovato music continue to grow and evolve with her.