Demi Lovato

Demetria Devonne Lovato born August 20, 1992 is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and executive producer. After appearing on the children’s television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004), she rose to prominence for her role as Mitchie Torres in the Disney Channel musical television film Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010). The former film’s soundtrack included “This Is Me”, Lovato’s duet with Joe Jonas, which became a top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100.

After signing with Hollywood Records, Lovato released her pop rock debut album, Don’t Forget (2008), which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Its follow-up, Here We Go Again (2009), debuted at number one in the US, while its title track peaked in the top 15 of the country. Lovato’s third studio album, Unbroken (2011), experimented with pop and R&B. It spawned two singles: “Skyscraper”, which peaked in the top ten of the US, and “Give Your Heart a Break”, which became her first number-one single on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Lovato’s fourth studio album, Demi (2013), debuted with US sales of 110,000 copies, her highest first-week sales in the country. Its lead single, “Heart Attack”, peaked in the top ten of the US, while also becoming her first top-three single on the UK Singles Chart. For her fifth and sixth studio albums, Confident (2015) and Tell Me You Love Me (2017), Lovato infused soul and focused on more mature content as opposed to her previous work. The former granted Lovato her first Grammy Award nomination, while the latter became her first album to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, and its lead single, “Sorry Not Sorry”, became her highest-charting single in the US, reaching number six.

On television, Lovato starred as the titular character on Sonny with a Chance (2009–2011), served as a judge and mentor on The X Factor USA in its second and third seasons, and appeared as a recurring character on Glee. Her struggles with personal issues received significant media attention in the 2010s, in response to which she published a book, Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year (2013), and released YouTube documentaries about her life and career, Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated (2017) and Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil (2021).

As of 2017, Lovato has sold over two million albums and 20 million singles in the United States, according to Billboard. She has received numerous accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, 14 Teen Choice Awards, five People’s Choice Awards, and two Latin American Music Awards. She also holds one Guinness World Record and was also included on the Time 100 annual list in 2017. Outside of the entertainment industry, Lovato is an activist for several social causes.

Early life and career beginnings

Demetria Devonne Lovato was born on August 20, 1992, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Dianna De La Garza (née Lee Smith) and engineer and musician Patrick Martin Lovato. She has an older sister named Dallas; a younger maternal half-sister, actress Madison De La Garza; and an older paternal half-sister, Amber, whom she first spoke to when she was twenty years old.

Lovato’s parents divorced in mid-1994, shortly after her second birthday. Lovato’s father was of Mexican descent, with mostly Spanish and Native American ancestors, and came from a family that had been living in New Mexico for generations; he also had distant Portuguese and Jewish ancestry. Her mother is of English and Irish ancestry. Through her father, Lovato is a descendant of Civil War Union veteran Francisco Perea and Santa Fe de Nuevo México governor Francisco Xavier Chávez. Lovato has stated that through DNA testing she discovered that her genetic background is 85% European including 32% Iberian, 16% Scandinavian, and 14% Irish; 10% Native American, and one percent African.

Lovato was brought up in Dallas, Texas. She began playing the piano at age seven and guitar at ten, when she began dancing and acting classes. In 2002, Lovato began her acting career on the children’s television series Barney & Friends, portraying the role of Angela. Lovato appeared on Prison Break in 2006 and on Just Jordan the following year. Lovato recalls that due to her acting career, she was bullied and requested homeschooling, through which she eventually received her high-school diploma.

Career

2007–2008: Breakthrough with Camp Rock and Don’t Forget

From 2007 to 2008, Lovato played Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel short series As the Bell Rings. Lovato auditioned for the channel’s television film Camp Rock and series Sonny with a Chance during 2007 and got both roles. Lovato played the lead character, aspiring singer Mitchie Torres, in Camp Rock. The film premiered on June 20, 2008, to 8.9 million viewers. Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Lovato’s acting skills were underwhelming and that she “has the knee-jerk smile of someone who is often told she has a great smile”. The film’s soundtrack was released three days earlier; however, the music was considered less current than that of High School Musical. It debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200, with 188,000 units sold in its first week of release. Lovato sang four songs on the soundtrack, including “We Rock” and “This Is Me”. The latter, Lovato’s debut single, debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number nine, marking her first entry on the chart. That summer, Lovato signed with Hollywood Records and began her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour before the release of her debut studio album, and appeared on the Jonas Brothers’ Burnin’ Up Tour.

Lovato’s debut studio album, Don’t Forget, was released on September 23, 2008, and was met with generally positive reviews from critics. Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly said, “Demi Lovato might satisfy her ‘tween fans but she won’t be winning any rockers over with Don’t Forget“. The album debuted at number two in the US, with first-week sales of 89,000 copies. Ten of its songs were co-written with the Jonas Brothers.

Don’t Forget was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales of over 500,000 copies. Its lead single, “Get Back”, was praised for its pop rock style and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100, also selling over 560,000 copies in the United States. The album’s second single, “La La Land”, was cited for its strong rock elements and peaked at number 52 in the US, and cracked the top 40 in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The music video for the song was directed by Brendan Malloy and Tim Wheeler. The third single and title track, “Don’t Forget”, peaked at number 41 in the US.

2009–2010: Sonny with a Chance and Here We Go Again

Lovato’s Disney Channel sitcom Sonny with a Chance, in which she played Sonny Munroe, the newest cast member of the show-within-a-show So Random!, premiered on February 8. Lovato’s acting ability was described by Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times as “very good”, and he compared her favorably to Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus. That June, she starred alongside Selena Gomez in the Disney Channel film Princess Protection Program, in which Lovato played Rosie Gonzalez / Princess Rosalinda. The film, the fourth highest-rated Disney Channel original movie, premiered to 8.5 million viewers. For the film, Gomez and Lovato recorded the song “One and the Same”, which was later released as a promotional single.

Lovato’s second studio album, Here We Go Again, was released on July 21, 2009; she described its acoustic style as similar to that of John Mayer. The album received favorable reviews from critics who appreciated its enjoyable pop-rock elements, echoing reviews of Don’t Forget. Lovato’s first number-one album, it debuted atop the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 108,000 copies, and was later certified Gold. The album’s lead single and title track, “Here We Go Again”, debuted at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, and managed to peak at number 15, becoming Lovato’s highest-charting solo single to that point. The song also peaked at number 68 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 38 in New Zealand. “Here We Go Again” was additionally certified Platinum in the US. The album’s second and final single, “Remember December” failed to match the success of its predecessor, but peaked at number 80 on the UK Singles Chart. Lovato made her first 40-city national concert tour, Live in Concert, in support of Here We Go Again. The tour, from June 21 to August 21, 2009, had David Archuleta, KSM and Jordan Pruitt as opening acts. Lovato and Archuleta received the Choice Music Tour award at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Lovato was featured alongside the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez on the song “Send It On”, a charity single and the theme song for Disney’s Friends for Change. All proceeds from the song were donated to environmental charities supported by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato recorded “Gift of a Friend” as a soundtrack for the Disney movie Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. The movie was released in October 2009.

In 2010, Lovato and Joe Jonas recorded “Make a Wave” as the second charity single for Disney’s Friends for Change. In May of that year, Lovato guest-starred as Hayley May, a teenager with schizophrenia, in the sixth-season Grey’s Anatomy episode, “Shiny Happy People”. Although critics praised her versatility, they were underwhelmed by her acting and felt that her appearance was designed primarily to attract viewers. Later that year, she headlined her first international tour, Demi Lovato: Live in Concert, and joined the Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert tour as a guest.

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, with Lovato reprising her role as Mitchie Torres, premiered on September 3, 2010. Critics were ambivalent about the film’s plot, and it has a 40-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Lovato’s performance was called “dependably appealing” by Jennifer Armstrong of Entertainment Weekly. The film premiered to eight million viewers, the number-one cable television movie of the year by the number of viewers. Its accompanying soundtrack was released on August 10 with Lovato singing nine songs, including “Can’t Back Down” and “Wouldn’t Change a Thing”. The soundtrack debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 41,000 copies. Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert was reworked to incorporate Lovato and the rest of the film’s cast; it began on August 7, two weeks later than planned. The Sonny with a Chance soundtrack was released on October 5; Lovato sang on four tracks, including “Me, Myself and Time”. It debuted (and peaked) at number 163 on the Billboard 200, her lowest-selling soundtrack.  In November 2010, Lovato announced her departure from Sonny with a Chance, putting her acting career on hiatus and ending the series; she later said that she would return to acting when she felt confident doing so. Her departure led to the actual spin-off series So Random! with the Sonny cast, featuring sketches from the former show-within-a-show. The series was canceled after one season.

2011–2012: Unbroken and The X Factor

Lovato released her third studio album, Unbroken, on September 20, 2011. Begun in July 2010, the album experimented with R&B and featured less pop rock than her first two albums. Lyrically, Unbroken encompassed more mature themes as opposed to Lovato’s previous works, with some songs focusing on her personal struggles. The album and its stylistic change received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Lovato’s vocals and saw a growth in her musicianship due to the songs focusing on her struggles, but criticized the album’s “party songs” and found the music to be more generic than her previous efforts. Unbroken debuted at number four in the US, selling 97,000 copies in its first week of release; it was later certified Gold.

Skyscraper”, the lead single from Unbroken, was released on July 12, and was noted for its messages of self-worth and confidence. It debuted at number ten in the US, selling 176,000 downloads during the first week of release, becoming Lovato’s highest first week sales at the time. The song also became Lovato’s highest-charting single since “This Is Me” peaking at number nine in July 2008, and it also debuted at number two on the Hot Digital Songs chart. “Skyscraper” received the Best Video With a Message award at the September 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, and the track was also certified Platinum by the RIAA and Silver by the BPI. The album’s second and final single, “Give Your Heart a Break”, was released on January 23, 2012, and later peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 16, making Lovato’s fourth highest-charting song to that point. It peaked at number 12 on the US Adult Top 40 chart and number one on the US Pop Songs chart. It also became the longest climb by a female artist to reach No. 1 in the Pop Songs chart history, until 2019, when Halsey’s feature on “Eastside” broke the record. The song was certified triple Platinum in the US; As of October 2014, “Give Your Heart a Break” has sold 2.1 million digital copies. Billboard has ranked the song as Lovato’s best, calling it “timeless”.

In May, Lovato became a judge and mentor for the second season of the U.S. version of The X Factor, with a reported salary of one million dollars. Joining Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, and L.A. Reid, it was speculated that she was chosen to attract a younger audience. Mentoring the Young Adults category, her final act (CeCe Frey) finished sixth. At the Minnesota State Fair in August, Lovato announced that after a pre-show performance at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards she would release a single by December. On December 24, she released a video on her YouTube account of herself singing “Angels Among Us” dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In March, she was confirmed as returning for The X Factor‘s third season, with her salary reportedly doubling.

2013–2014: Demi and world tours

Lovato’s fourth studio album, Demi, was released on May 14, 2013. The album features influences of synthpop and bubblegum pop and was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Although Jon Carmichael of The New York Times found Lovato’s transition fun, according to Entertainment Weekly it signified a less-mature image. The album debuted at number three in the US, with first-week sales of 110,000 copies, the best-selling debut week of Lovato’s discography. It was also successful internationally, charting in the top ten in New Zealand, Spain and the UK. The album has been certified Gold in the US.

The lead single from Demi, “Heart Attack,” was released on February 25, and debuted at number 12 in the US, with first-week sales of 215,000 copies, the highest first week sales of Lovato’s discography. The song peaked at number ten (Lovato’s third top ten entry in the US), and was also successful in the UK, Australia, and Europe. The second single, “Made in the USA” peaked at number 80 in the US. The third and fourth singles from Demi, “Neon Lights” and “Really Don’t Care”, both peaked in the top forty of the US, and at number one in the country’s Dance Club Songs chart. They were also certified Platinum in the US.

Lovato later released a deluxe version of Demi, which was to include seven new tracks, consisting of four live performances and three studio recordings. One of these songs included a collaboration with Olly Murs on a song for his fourth studio album, entitled “Up”. Lovato contributed to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones soundtrack album with “Heart by Heart”.

On June 11, Lovato released an e-book, Demi, on iBooks. She planned to appear in at least six episodes of the fifth season of Glee, but she only appeared in four. She played Dani, a struggling New York-based artist who befriends Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) and interacts with fellow newcomer Adam Lambert’s character. Lovato debuted in the season’s second episode, which aired on October 3, and made her final appearance in March 2014. On November 19, she released a book, Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year, which topped The New York Times bestseller list. She then agreed to write a memoir, which has yet to be released. While on The X Factor, her final act (Rion Paige) finished fifth.

Lovato announced her Neon Lights Tour (including a Canadian leg) on September 29, 2013, which began February 9, 2014 and ended May 17. On October 21, she released her cover of “Let It Go” for the Disney film Frozen, which was released in theaters on November 27. Lovato’s cover was described as more “radio friendly” and “pop” as compared to the original by Idina Menzel. Lovato’s cover appears in the film’s credits, and the song was promoted as the single for the film’s soundtrack. The song peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 20 weeks on the chart. It was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. On May 18, 2014, “Somebody to You” featuring Lovato was released as the fourth single from The Vamps’ debut album, Meet the Vamps.

On May 29, Lovato announced the Demi World Tour, which marks her fourth concert tour (and first world tour, covering 25 cities), and second in support of her album Demi. In November 2014, Lovato opened the UK shows on Enrique Iglesias’ Sex and Love Tour. She also worked with her longtime friend Nick Jonas on a song for his self-titled album called “Avalanche,” released November 2014. Lovato was featured on “Up”, the second single from Olly Murs’ fourth studio album, Never Been Better.

Lovato announced her skincare line called Devonne by Demi to be available in December 2014. She released a music video for her song “Nightingale” on December 24, 2014.

2015–2016: Confident

Lovato’s fifth album, Confident, was released on October 16, 2015, and received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 98,000 copies. During the album’s production, Lovato commented: “I’ve already started recording for my new album, and I have plans to record during the tour. The sound just evolves into everything that I’ve been and everything that I want to become.” She further stated, “I’ve never been so sure of myself as an artist when it comes down to confidence, but not only personal things, but exactly what I want my sound to be and what I know I’m capable of and this album will give me the opportunity to show people what I can really do.”

In January 2019, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA, and has sold one million copies in the United States. In May 2015, Billboard revealed that Lovato was in the process of starting an “artist-centric” new record label, Safehouse Records, of which she would be co-founder and co-owner. The label would be a partnership between Lovato, Nick Jonas, and her then-manager Phil McIntyre, and will form part of a new collaborative arrangement with record label Island. Confident was released through the new venture deal. This would be Lovato’s second multi-label venture of her career; she was formerly part of Jonas Records, a UMG/Hollywood/Jonas Brothers partnership, which is now defunct.

Lovato released the lead single from Confident titled “Cool for the Summer” on July 1, 2015. The song attracted attention for its bi-curious theme and was a commercial success, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified double platinum in the U.S. On September 18, 2015, the title track “Confident” was released as the album’s second single and peaked at number 21 on the Hot 100. On October 17, 2015, she performed a “Cool for the Summer” and “Confident” medley, as well as “Stone Cold” melody on Saturday Night Live during the series’ forty-first season. Lovato was also featured on the re-release of “Irresistible”, the fourth single from Fall Out Boy’s sixth studio album American Beauty/American Psycho. The same month, she signed with the major modeling agency, Wilhelmina Models. Lovato released the music video for her R&B-infused song “Waitin for You” featuring rapper Sirah on October 22, 2015. On October 26, 2015, Lovato and Nick Jonas announced that they would be touring together on the Future Now Tour. She was honored with the first-ever Rulebreaker Award on December 11, 2015 at the 2015 Billboard Women in Music event. On March 21, 2016, “Stone Cold” was released as the third and final single from Confident. On July 1, 2016, Lovato released a new single titled “Body Say” to promote her tour.

2017–2018: Tell Me You Love Me

In February 2017, Lovato executive-produced a documentary, Beyond Silence, which follows three individuals and their experiences with mental illnesses including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Lovato featured in Cheat Codes’ song “No Promises”, released in March 2017, and Jax Jones’s “Instruction” along with Stefflon Don, released in June 2017. In 2017, Lovato was included in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. On May 8, 2017, she announced a collaboration with sportswear line Fabletics to support the United Nations’ initiative, Girl Up.

In July 2017, Lovato released “Sorry Not Sorry” as the lead single from her sixth studio album, which became her highest-charting song in New Zealand and the United States at number six as well as Australia at number eight. It also became her best-selling single in the US for its 5x Platinum certification by RIAA. The album, titled Tell Me You Love Me, was released on September 29 and debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 78,000 copies. It received positive reviews from music critics and became Lovato’s first album to be certified Platinum in the US. On October 17, Lovato released Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated on YouTube, a documentary focusing on her life, career, and personal struggles. It was nominated for “Best Music Documentary” at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards. In October 2017, Lovato announced the tour dates for the North American leg of her Tell Me You Love Me World Tour, with special guests DJ Khaled and Kehlani. She confirmed European and South American legs of the tour in the following months, and the tour commenced in February 2018.

In November 2017, Lovato released the single “Échame la Culpa” with Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi. Lovato performed at the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018. In May, Christina Aguilera released a single from her album Liberation titled “Fall in Line” featuring Lovato, and she was also featured on Clean Bandit’s song “Solo”. The latter became Lovato’s first number-one song in the United Kingdom. On June 21, Lovato released a new single titled “Sober” which she referred to as “my truth” and discusses struggles with addiction and sobriety.

2019–present: Return to acting, Dancing with the Devil, and upcoming seventh studio album

On May 11, 2019, Lovato revealed she had signed with a new manager, Scooter Braun. She shared that she “couldn’t be happier, inspired and excited to begin this next chapter”. In August 2019, it was revealed that Lovato would appear in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, a Netflix original film, directed by David Dobkin, based on the song competition of the same name. The film was ultimately released on June 26, 2020 and starred Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. This marked Lovato’s first acting appearance since her guest role on Glee in 2013 and her first film role since Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010). Later in the month, after teasing that she had been working on a new project, Lovato revealed her return to television with a recurring guest role in the final season of the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, where she played Will’s surrogate. Lovato announced a talk show, Pillow Talk With Demi Lovato, to air on the new video streaming platform Quibi, which has since sold its content to Roku. The yet-to-be-released show is set to consist of ten episodes and will feature candid, unfiltered conversations between Lovato and both expert and celebrity guests, exploring topics such as: activism, body positivity, gender identity, sex, relationships, social media and wellness.

In January 2020, Lovato made her first musical appearance since her hiatus with a performance of single “Anyone” at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The song, which was recorded four days prior to her 2018 drug overdose, was released on iTunes immediately after. On February 2, 2020, Lovato performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl LIV. On March 6, Lovato released a new single titled “I Love Me”. The release was supplemented by both a guest appearance and guest-host role on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On April 16, she released a collaboration titled “I’m Ready”, alongside Sam Smith. A remix of “Lonely Hearts” by JoJo featuring Lovato was released on August 28, 2020. At the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, Lovato received two nominations for her song “I Love Me”, becoming the first artist in VMA history to receive a nomination every year for eight consecutive years. On September 10, Lovato released a collaboration with American DJ, Marshmello, titled “OK Not to Be OK”, in partnership with the Hope For The Day suicide prevention movement. On September 30, 2020, she released “Still Have Me” via Twitter. This was later released on digital platforms. On October 14, she released a political ballad titled “Commander in Chief”, ahead of the 2020 presidential election. She hosted the 46th People’s Choice Awards on November 15, 2020. On November 20, she featured on a song titled “My Reputation” by American rapper, Jeezy, appearing on his album The Recession 2. On December 4, Lovato featured on a remix of the song “Monsters” by rock band All Time Low, alongside Blackbear.

Lovato was chosen to perform during Celebrating America, the primetime television special marking the Inauguration of Joe Biden. She joined Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi and Justin Timberlake in the event hosted by actor Tom Hanks. Lovato sang “Lovely Day” (1977) by Bill Withers, with appearances from healthcare workers and other Americans across the states, as well as President Biden with his grandson. In January 2021, it was announced that Lovato would be the main actress and executive producer of an NBC Entertainment single-camera comedy television series titled Hungry, which will follow “friends who belong to a food issues group as they help each other look for love, success and the perfect thing in the fridge that’s going to make it all better”. “What Other People Say”, a collaboration between Lovato and Australian singer-songwriter, Sam Fischer, was released on February 4, 2021.

A four-part documentary series following Lovato’s life will premiere on YouTube in March 2021. The series, titled Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, was directed by Michael D. Ratner and will reportedly showcase Lovato’s personal and musical journey over the past three years.

Artistry

Influences

Lovato has frequently cited “power vocalists” such as Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin as major musical and vocal influences. Lovato says, “I had a lot of respect for Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera.” About her admiration for Clarkson, Lovato says, “I just thought she was a great role model. I feel like she set a really great example and she was extremely talented.” Lovato also said that she “was obsessed with Kelly Clarkson” as a child, and she even had an AOL username, “Little Kelly”, inspired by the singer.

Her other influences or inspirations include Britney Spears, Rihanna, JoJo, Keri Hilson, Jennifer Lopez, Gladys Knight, Alexz Johnson, Billie Holiday, the Spice Girls, and Billy Gilman. About Gilman she said, “We had the same voice range when I was young. I would practice to his songs all the time.” In her teens, Lovato listened to metal, including bands such as the Devil Wears Prada, Job for a Cowboy, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, and Bring Me the Horizon. She has said that John Mayer’s songwriting has in particular been a “huge influence” on hers, and that following the release of Unbroken, her musical style shifted towards hip hop and R&B. Upon the release of the song “Without a Fight” by country music singer Brad Paisley featuring Lovato, she cited the country genre as a lifelong strong musical influence of hers, as she “grew up listening to country” and her mom “was a country singer”.

Lovato’s The Neon Lights Tour was “inspired by Beyoncé” and specifically her 2013 self-titled visual album in regard to the visuals shown onscreen. Moreover, Lovato revealed that her sixth studio album, Tell Me You Love Me, was inspired by Aguilera. Lovato said “I grew up listening to Christina Aguilera. She was one of my idols growing up. She still is. Her voice is incredible, and in Stripped you really got to hear that. I think it was her breakout album that really transformed her into the icon that she is today. So that inspired me … she really inspired this album. I was even inspired by the black and white artwork!”

Voice

Lovato is a soprano, possessing a four-octave vocal range and a whistle register. Throughout her career, she has received acclaim from critics for her singing abilities. Regarding her vocals on Don’t Forget, Nick Levine of Digital Spy commented, “she’s certainly a stronger singer than the Jonases. In fact, her full-bodied vocal performances are consistently impressive.” Becky Brain of Idolator remarked that Lovato has a “killer voice and the A-list material to put it to good use”. According to Sophie Schillaci of The Hollywood Reporter, the singer “has a voice that can silence even the harshest of critics. Something not often found in her peers.” In his review of Lovato’s sophomore studio album Here We Go Again, Jeff Miers from The Buffalo News stated, “Unlike so many of her Disney-fied peers, Lovato can really sing… refreshing to mask any lack of natural ability.”

Commenting on working with Lovato on her third studio album Unbroken, Ryan Tedder stated she “blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She’s one of the best singers I’ve ever worked with. Literally, that good… I mean, she’s a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes.” He also commented on their work together on the song “Neon Lights” from her fourth studio album, saying, “She, in pop music, has one of the biggest ranges, possibly the highest full voice singer I’ve ever worked with.” Tamsyn Wilce from Alter the Press commented on her vocals on Demi, stating “it shows just how strong her vocal cords are and the variation of styles that she can completely work to make her own.”

In a review of the Neon Lights Tour, Mike Wass from Idolator remarked “you don’t need shiny distractions when you can belt out songs like and connect with the crowd on such an emotional level.” In a review of the Demi World Tour, Marielle Wakim from Los Angeles magazine praised Lovato’s vocals, commenting, “For those who haven’t bothered to follow Lovato’s career, let’s get something out of the way: the girl can sing. Get over your fear of being judged by your Facebook friends and Spotify her discography, because you’re going to have the last laugh five years down the road (probably sooner) when she wins a Grammy. At 22 years old, her vocal range is astounding.” She went on to further describe her vocals as “spectacular”.

Lovato was lauded for her performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Patrick Ryan of USA Today commended her for delivering a “flawless performance” and “reminding us she’s one of the best vocalists in the industry today.” He went on to note that “she hit all the high notes with ease” and ultimately “even added some of her own riffs” which he says resulted in “a rendition that was uniquely and phenomenally hers.”

Personal life

Residence

On her 18th birthday, Lovato purchased a Mediterranean-style house in Los Angeles for her family; however, she decided to live in a “sober house” in Los Angeles after leaving rehab in January 2011. In September 2016, Lovato also purchased a Laurel Canyon home in Los Angeles for $8.3 million, which she sold in June 2020 for $8.25 million. In September 2020, Lovato purchased a Studio City home in Los Angeles for $7 million.

Hobbies

Lovato started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a martial art derived from jujutsu, in 2016. As of 2019, she is ranked as a blue belt.

Relationships

Lovato had no interest in forging a relationship with her birth father, Patrick, after his divorce from her mother. She has been vocal about her abusive and strained relationship with him and once stated, “He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person. And he wanted to have his family, and when my mom married my stepdad, he still had this huge heart where he said, ‘I’m so glad that taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do’.” Patrick died of cancer on June 22, 2013. After his death, Lovato said that he had been mentally ill, and in his honor she created the Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program.

Lovato describes her sexuality as fluid, and has said she is open to finding love with someone of any gender. In July 2020, she labeled herself queer in a social media statement mourning the death of Glee co-star Naya Rivera.

She dated singer Alex DeLeon for a year in 2008. For a few months she dated singer Trace Cyrus in 2009. Lovato briefly dated her Camp Rock co-star Joe Jonas in 2010. Lovato was in an on-again, off-again relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama. They first started dating in August 2010 and ended their relationship in June 2016. She started dating UFC athlete Luke Rockhold in August that year; the couple split in January 2017. Lovato later dated another UFC athlete Guilherme Bomba Vasconcelos in the same month and broke up in July that year. In the end of 2018, Lovato briefly dated designer Henry Levy until March 2019. She dated model Austin Wilson for a few months until late 2019. On July 23, 2020, Lovato announced her engagement to actor Max Ehrich. They had begun dating four months earlier. The couple called off their engagement that September.

Health

Lovato had suffered from bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa (binge type), self-harm, and being bullied before she went into rehab at age 18. On November 1, 2010, Lovato withdrew from the Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert tour, entering a treatment facility for “physical and emotional issues”. It was reported that she decided to enter treatment after punching female dancer Alex Welch; her management and family convinced her she needed help. Lovato said she took “100 percent, full responsibility” for the incident. On January 28, 2011, Lovato completed inpatient treatment at Timberline Knolls and returned home. She acknowledged that she had bulimia, had cut herself, and had been “self-medicating” with drugs and alcohol “like a lot of teens do to numb their pain”. She added that she “basically had a nervous breakdown” and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during her treatment. Lovato later said that she had used cocaine several times a day and smuggled cocaine onto airplanes.

In April 2011, Lovato became a contributing editor for Seventeen magazine, writing an article that described her struggles. In March 2012, MTV aired a documentary, Demi Lovato: Stay Strong, about her rehab and recovery. She began work on her fourth studio album the following month. In January 2013, it was reported that Lovato had been living in a sober-living facility in Los Angeles for over a year because she felt it was the best way to avoid returning to her addictions and eating disorder. Lovato celebrated the five-year anniversary of her sobriety on March 15, 2017.

In her 2017 YouTube documentary Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, Lovato revealed publicly that her treatment at Timberline Knolls was not entirely successful, stating that she still struggled with alcoholism and a cocaine addiction in the year following her stint in the treatment centre and further revealing that she was in fact under the influence of cocaine while being interviewed about her sobriety for Demi Lovato: Stay Strong. She stated: “I wasn’t working my program. I wasn’t ready to get sober. I was sneaking it on planes, sneaking it in bathrooms, sneaking it throughout the night. Nobody knew.”

Lovato also stated that her drug and alcohol addictions caused her to not only nearly overdose several times, but later began to impact her ability to perform and promote her third studio album Unbroken, referencing a 2012 performance on the eleventh season of American Idol where she was severely hungover. After her management team had expressed their intentions to leave her, Lovato agreed to resume treatment and counseling for her addictions, leading to her move to a sober-living facility in Los Angeles with roommates and responsibilities to help her overcome her drug and alcohol problems.

2018 overdose

On June 21, 2018, Lovato released the single “Sober” in which she revealed she had relapsed after six years of sobriety. On July 24, 2018, she was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after emergency services were called to her home due to an opioid overdose. She was reported to be stable and recovering later in the day. Lovato was reported to have overdosed on oxycodone laced with fentanyl and was revived with naloxone. She was hospitalized for two weeks and subsequently entered an in-patient rehab facility. In December 2018, Lovato took to Twitter to dismiss rumors regarding her overdose and went on to thank her fans, writing: “If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF. All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support.” She went on to add that some day she would “tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today.. but until I’m ready to share that with people please stop prying and making up shit that you know nothing about. I still need space and time to heal.” In 2021, Lovato said that she had multiple health complications due to the overdose, including multiple strokes, a heart attack, and brain damage, the latter of which caused lasting vision problems.

Lovato spoke on the matter in a 2020 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she revealed that her worsened struggles with bulimia in 2018 contributed to her eventual drug overdose, as she relapsed three months prior to the incident for being extremely unhappy. She attributed these struggles to the extreme measures that her then-manager, Phil McIntyre, took to control what she ate. Lovato further explained that, along with the controlling nature of her management team, they did not provide her with the help she needed, commenting: “People checking what my orders at Starbucks were on my bank statements… just little things like that… it led me to being really unhappy and my bulimia got really bad and I asked for help and I didn’t receive the help that I needed.” Moreover, she recalled her thought process the night she relapsed after six years of sobriety was as follows: “I’m six years sober and I’m miserable. I’m even more miserable than I was when I was drinking. Why am I sober?” When Lovato confronted her management team about her thoughts, they responded with, “You’re being very selfish, this would ruin things for not just you but for us as well,” which she says made her feel “completely abandoned” due to triggering her underlying abandonment issues with her birth father, and so she “drank that night”.

Other ventures

Activism and philanthropy

Lovato’s work as an LGBT rights activist has been recognized by GLAAD, which awarded her the Vanguard Award in 2016. When the Defense of Marriage Act was appealed in June 2013, Lovato celebrated the occasion on social media. Lovato has previously expressed support for the LGBT community: “I believe in gay marriage, I believe in equality. I think there’s a lot of hypocrisy with religion. But I just found that you can have your own relationship with God, and I still have a lot of faith.” In May 2014, Lovato was named lead performer for NYC Pride Week and Grand Marshal of the LA Pride Parade, where she later filmed the music video for “Really Don’t Care”. Lovato became the face of Human Rights Campaign’s America’s for Marriage Equality in 2015. In June 2016, Lovato participated in a video released by the Human Rights Campaign honoring the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

Lovato has also raised awareness for health and mental health issues; for her efforts to fight mental health stigma, she was honored with the Artistic Award of Courage by The Jane and Terry Semel Institute. In May 2009, Lovato was named an Honorary Ambassador of Education by the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders. In December 2011, Lovato criticized the Disney Channel for airing episodes of Shake It Up and So Random!, in which characters joked about eating disorders. The network subsequently issued an apology and removed the episodes from their broadcast and video on demand services. In May 2013, she was cited for her dedication to mentoring teens and young adults with mental-health problems at a National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in Washington. Lovato has paid treatment costs for mentally-ill patients through the Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program, named for her late father, since 2013. Her speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention focused on raising awareness for mental health. In September 2017, Lovato was named a Global Citizen ambassador for championing the mental health of thousands of children displaced within Iraq and other communities” and helped “fund the expansion of a Save the Children pilot program, Healing and Education through the Arts, to violence-scarred young people living around Kirkuk and Saladin Governorate, Iraq”. In April 2020, Lovato joined a mental health campaign in support of Irish charity SpunOut.ie. to launch The Mental Health Fund which is raising money for mental health support.

Lovato identifies as a feminist. In a 2017 interview with Dolly magazine, she explained that “Feminism … doesn’t have to mean burning bras and hating men” but instead “standing up for gender equality and trying to empower our youth. And showing women that you can embrace your sexuality and you deserve to have confidence and you don’t need to conform to society’s views on what women should be or how you should dress. So, I think it is just about supporting other women and empowering other women.” In May 2017, Lovato partnered with Fabletics to create a limited edition activewear collection for the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign to fund programs for “the world’s most marginalized adolescent girls”.

Lovato is a vocal anti-bullying advocate. In October 2010, she served as spokeswoman for the anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on America’s Next Top Model to speak out against bullying. Lovato participated in the “A Day Made Better” school advocacy campaign and has supported DonateMyDress.org, Kids Wish Network, Love Our Children USA, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and City of Hope. In April 2012, she became a contributing editor of Seventeen magazine, describing her personal struggles to its female teenage readers. In September 2012, Lovato was named the ambassador of Mean Stinks, a campaign focused on eliminating bullying by girls.

Lovato is politically active, often speaking out against gun violence and racial injustice. In January 2010, she was featured in a public-service announcement for Voto Latino to promote the organization’s “Be Counted” campaign ahead of the 2010 United States Census. In June 2016, Lovato signed an open letter from Billboard urging gun reform and performed at the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C. in March 2018. In May 2020, Lovato condemned police brutality and the officers responsible for the killing of George Floyd and the shooting of Breonna Taylor. She shared resources to support the Black Lives Matter movement and black-owned businesses and denounced white privilege.

Throughout her career, Lovato has donated to and partnered with various charities. In 2009, she recorded the theme song “Send It On” with the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez for the Disney’s Friends for Change program. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 20, and its proceeds were directed to environmental charities through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato and Joe Jonas recorded the song “Make a Wave” for the charity in March 2010. In August 2013, she traveled to Kenya for her 21st birthday to participate in a program of the international charity organization Free the Children. She returned to Kenya in January 2017 with We Movement to work with women and children. In March 2017, as a celebration of her five-year anniversary of sobriety, Lovato donated money to Los Angeles-based charities specializing in animal, LGBT and adoption rights. In August 2017, Lovato donated $50000 to Hurricane Harvey relief and started fund with Nick Jonas, DNCE and her then-manager Phil McIntyre. Lovato’s second limited edition activewear collection with Fabletics, released in June 2020, pledged up to $125,000 in proceeds to COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts. As spokesperson for the Join the Surge Campaign, DoSomething.Org and Joining the Surge by Clean & Clear, she has encouraged fans to take action in their own communities.

Endorsements

From 2014 to 2016, Lovato was the face of the Skechers footwear brand. She partnered with Shazam on the Demi World Tour in 2014. In addition, she became the first-ever brand ambassador of the makeup brand N.Y.C. New York Color in 2015. That year, Lovato promoted The Radiant Collection for Tampax “to help encourage young women to wear what they want regardless of what time of the month it is”. In June 2016, Lovato partnered with streaming service Tidal to livestream the first date of her Future Now Tour with Nick Jonas. Since 2017, Lovato has released activewear collections with the women’s athleisure brand Fabletics to raise money for organizations such as United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up campaign and COVID-19 relief efforts. Also in 2017, she performed at a dinner hosted by the jewelry company, Bulgari, to celebrate the opening of the brand’s Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City.

Lovato became a brand ambassador for the JBL audio company in 2017 and for the mug company Ember. in 2018, she starred in CORE Hydration’s “Finding Balance” campaign, after becoming an initial investor of CORE Hydration after first discovering the brand in 2015. Jaguar, JBL, Lyft, Ferrari, TikTok and Samsung products have been featured in Lovato’s music videos. She also appeared in commercials for Skechers, Acuvue, Apple, and Fabletics. In 2019, Dior used Lovato’s song “Only Forever” from her album Tell Me You Love Me in a series of commercials and social media posts to promote the brands “Dior Forever” makeup collection. Since September 2020, Lovato has served as a Mental Health Spokesperson for the online and mobile therapy company Talkspace.