Demi Lovato

Demetria Devonne Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is a Mexican American actress, singer, songwriter and model.

1992–2006: Early life and career beginnings
Lovato was born on August 20, 1992, in Albuquerque, New Mexico to engineer and musician Patrick Martin Lovato (1960 — June 22, 2013) and former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Dianna De La Garza (nee Dianna Lee Smith; born August 8, 1962). Lovato has an older sister, Dallas (born February 4, 1988); a younger maternal half-sister, actress Madison De La Garza; and an older paternal half-sister, Amber, to whom she first spoke when she was 20.

Lovato's parents divorced in the late summer of 1994, shortly after her second birthday. Lovato's father was of Mexican descent, while her mother has English and Irish ancestry. Through her father, Lovato is a descendant of Civil War Union veteran Francisco Perea (1830–1913) and Santa Fe de Nuevo México governor Francisco Xavier Chávez.

Lovato was raised in Dallas, Texas. In 2002, she began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends as Angela. She began playing piano at age seven and guitar at ten, when she also began dancing and acting classes. Lovato told Ellen DeGeneres that she was bullied so badly that she asked for homeschooling, and she received her high-school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. She later became a spokesperson for the anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on America's Next Top Model to speak out against bullying. In 2006, Lovato appeared on Prison Break, and on Just Jordan the following year.

As of September 2015, Lovato's name appears on the "Unclaimed Coogan" list, which is a fund for child actors whose earnings were partially withheld, but which remain unclaimed by the former child performers.

2007–2008: Camp Rock and Don't Forget
In 2007 and 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 the summer of 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. Its soundtrack was released three days earlier; however, the music was considered less current than that of High School Musical. Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Lovato's acting skills were underwhelming and she "has the knee-jerk smile of someone who is often told she has a great smile". Lovato sang four songs on the soundtrack, including "We Rock" and "This Is Me". That summer, she began her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour before the release of her debut album and appeared on the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour.

Lovato's debut 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 on the Billboard 200, 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 US Billboard Hot 100, 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 was directed by Brendan Malloy and Tim Wheeler The album's third single, "Don't Forget" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-eight on October 11, 2008, and fell off the chart the following week.

2009–2010: Sonny With a Chance and Here We Go Again
In 2009, Lovato recorded "Send It On", a charity single and the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change, with friends the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. All proceeds from the song were donated to environmental charities supported by the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato's Disney Channel sitcom Sonny with a Chance, with her character 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 (and friend) Miley Cyrus. That June, she starred as Princess Rosalinda in the Disney Channel film, Princess Protection Program. The film, the third highest-rated Disney Channel original movie, premiered to 8.5 million viewers. Lovato's second 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. Before its release, she began her Summer Tour 2009. The album's lead single, "Here We Go Again" peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and managed to peak at number 15, becoming Lovato's highest peaking solo single at the time, The song peaked at number 68 on the Canadian Hot 100 and 38 in New Zealand. The album's second and final single, "Remember December" failed to match the success of its predecessor, but it peaked at number 80 on the UK Singles Chart.

The entertainer 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 and Lovato and Archuleta received the Choice Music Tour award at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. In March 2010, Lovato and Joe Jonas recorded "Make a Wave" as the second charity single for Disney's Friends for Change. In May, Lovato guest-starred as a teenage schizophrenic 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, the South American Tour, 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. The Jonas Brothers' 2012 World Tour 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.

2011–2012: Unbroken and The X Factor
That month, Lovato also 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 spin-off series So Random! with the Sonny cast, featuring sketches from the former show-within-a-show. The series was cancelled after one season. Lovato released her third album, Unbroken, on September 20, 2011. Begun in July 2010, the album experimented with R&B and featured less pop rock. The album and the stylistic change received mixed reviews from critics, who saw a growth in musicianship because of her struggles and have praised Lovato's vocals but found the music more generic than her previous efforts. The record was a commercial success, peaking at number four on the Billboard 200, with sales exceeding 97,000 copies in its first week of release, and going on to sell over 500,000 copies in the United States, being certified Gold.

The album's lead single, "Skyscraper", was acclaimed for its messages of self-worth and confidence, peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 176,000 downloads during the first week of release, becoming Lovato's highest first week sales, until the release of "Heart Attack" by Lovato in 2013. The song also Lovato's highest-peaked single since "This Is Me" reached number nine in August 2008. The song 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. The album's second and final single, "Give Your Heart a Break", peaked Billboard Hot 100 at number 16, making Lovato's fourth highest peaking song. Also, it has peaked at number 12 on the US Adult Top 40 chart, number 1 on the US Pop Songs chart and became the longest climb by a female artist to No. 1 in the Pop Songs chart history. In April 2014, the song was certified three-times platinum by the RIAA; as of October 2014, it has sold 2.1 million digital copies.

In May, she became a judge for the second season of the American 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 The X Factor's third season, with her salary reportedly doubling.

2013–2014: Demi and Glee
Demi was released on May 10, 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 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 110,000 copies, the best-selling debut week of Lovato's career. It was also successful internationally, charting in the top ten in New Zealand, Spain and the UK. and has been certified Gold in the US.

On June 11, Lovato released an e-book, Demi, on iBooks. Her lead single, "Heart Attack," debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, with first-week sales of 215,000 copies. The song peaked at number 10 (Lovato's third showing in the US top ten), and was also successful in the UK, Australia and Europe. The second single, "Made in the USA" peaked at number 80 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. The third single from Demi, "Neon Lights", peaked in the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 36 and in the US Hot Dance Club Songs at number one. The fourth single; "Really Don't Care" featuring British singer Cher Lloyd, became Lovato's third number one hit on the US Dance chart and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 98 before rising to peak position number 26.

Lovato later released a deluxe version of her fourth studio album, which was to include 7 new tracks, consisting of 4 live performances and 3 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 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones soundtrack album with "Heart by Heart".

Lovato planned to appear in at least six episodes of the fifth season of Glee. 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. On November 19, she released a book, Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year, which topped The New York Times bestseller list. The entertainer has agreed to write a memoir, which is expected to be published in 2014.

She announced her upcoming 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 "Let It Go" for the Disney film Frozen, which was released in theaters on November 27, and the song was promoted as the single for the film's soundtrack. The song peaked in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 38, spending twenty weeks on the chart. On December 18, 2013, Lovato confirmed that she would not return to the The X Factor for a fourth season. 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, she announced her fourth concert tour (and first world tour, covering 25 cities), the Demi World Tour, and its first North American dates. In November 2014, Lovato opened the UK shows on Enrique Iglesias's 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 as an early Christmas present for her fans.

2015–present: Confident and hiatus
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 July 2016, the album was certified gold by the RIAA, and has sold 211,000 copies in the United States. In May 2015, Billboard revealed Lovato was in the process of starting an "artist-centric" new record label, Safehouse Records, of which she will be co-owner. The label will be a partnership between her, Nick Jonas, and Lovato's 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 will 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. On September 18, 2015, the title track "Confident" was released as the album's second single. On October 17, 2015, she performed a "Cool for the Summer" and "Confident" medley, as well as "Stone Cold" 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 American rapper Sirah on October 22, 2015. On October 26, 2015, Lovato and Nick Jonas announced that they would tour 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 serviced as the third and final single from Confident. On July 1, 2016, Lovato released a new single titled "Body Say" to promote her tour. On October 4, 2016, she announced a hiatus from music and the spotlight, citing that she is "not meant for this business and the media."

Philanthropy
In May 2009, Lovato was named an Honorary Ambassador of Education by the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders. As part of her involvement with Disney's Friends for Change, Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez recorded the initiative's theme song ("Send It On") in 2009. 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 another song, "Make a Wave", for the charity in March 2010. She is also spokesperson for the Join the Surge Campaign!, DoSomething.Org and Joining the Surge by Clean & Clear; the latter is a national campaign encouraging teenagers to take action in their communities.

Lovato was featured in a January 2010 public-service announcement for Voto Latino to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign preparing for the 2010 United States Census. In October 2010 she was the spokeswoman for the anti-bullying organization, PACER. 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 audience. In October Lovato was named the ambassador of Mean Stinks, a campaign focused on eliminating bullying by girls. In May 2013 she was cited for her dedication as a mentor to 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. In late June 2013 Lovato announced the creation of the Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program, named for her late father, to pay treatment costs for mentally-ill patients. In August 2013, she traveled to Kenya for her 21st birthday to participate in a program of the international charity organization Free the Children.

In May 2014, Lovato was named the LA Pride Parade Grand Marshal and the lead performer for NYC Pride Week for her contribution to the LGBT community. NYC Pride spokesperson Patti Diluigi said, "Demi Lovato is an amazing role model for today's youth, both LGBT and non-LGBT, for her activism in the area of equality, positive messaging on body image, and level of openness with her struggles. As a community, we're fortunate to have an ally like Demi." Lovato has also become the face of Human Rights Campaign's America's for Marriage Equality. For the announcement of the campaign, Lovato stated "Whether you're LGBT or straight, your love is valid, beautiful and an incredible love. So let's protect love and strengthen the institution of marriage by allowing loving, caring and committed same-sex couples to legally marry. Please join me and the majority of American citizens who support marriage equality." On April 2, 2016, Lovato received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community at the 27th GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.

In June 2016, Lovato was among the artists that signed an open letter to stop gun violence, created by Billboard. That month, the Human Rights Campaign also released a video in tribute to the victims of the 2016 Orlando gay nightclub shooting; in the video, Lovato and others told the stories of the people killed there.

Influences
Lovato has listed Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson as her biggest influences. Her other influences include Britney Spears, Rihanna, Keri Hilson, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Billie Holiday, 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." Lovato has said that John Mayer's songwriting has been a "huge influence" on her and that after the release of Unbroken, her musical style shifted towards hip hop and R&B. Lovato says, "I had a lot of respect for Whitney Houston, and Christina Aguilera, on some songs where she was really amazing and wasn't trying to be sexy or anything like that." About her admiration for Clarkson, Lovato says, "I just thought she was a great role model. She was never publicly seen drinking and driving or wearing really scandalous clothes or anything like that. I feel like she set a really great example and she was extremely talented." Lovato's The Neon Lights Tour was "inspired by Beyoncé."

Voice
Lovato is a full lyric soprano. She has a vocal range of four octaves, 1 note and a semitone, including the whistle register. Nick Levine of Digital Spy, commenting on her vocals for her album, Don't Forget, stated, "she's certainly a stronger singer than the Jonases. In fact, her full-bodied vocal performances are consistently impressive." Becky Brain of Idolator wrote that Lovato has a "killer voice and the A-list material to put it to good use." According to Sophie Schillaci of the The Hollywood Reporter, the entertainer "has a voice that can silence even the harshest of critics. Something not often found in her peers." For Lovato's second studio album, Here We Go Again, Jeff Miers from The Buffalo News wrote, "Unlike so many of her Disney-fied peers, Lovato can really sing...[and it's] refreshing [she doesn't need Auto-Tune] to mask any lack of natural ability."

Upon working with Lovato on her third studio album, Unbroken, Ryan Tedder stated, "Demi 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 Lovato's 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 for the 'Neon Lights Tour,' Mike Wass from Idolator commented "you don't need shiny distractions when you can belt out songs like Demi and connect with the crowd on such an emotional level." In a review for the 'Demi World tour,' Marielle Wakim from Los Angeles Magazine commented on Lovato's vocals, stating "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."

Residence
On her 18th birthday, Lovato bought a Mediterranean-style house in Los Angeles, California; however, she decided to live in a "sober house" in Los Angeles after leaving rehab in January 2011.

Relationships
In 2010, Lovato began dating actor Wilmer Valderrama. They announced the end of their relationship on social media on June 3, 2016.

Lovato had no interest in forging a relationship with her late father, Patrick, after his divorce from her mother. Patrick died of cancer on June 22, 2013, at age 53. After his death, Lovato said that he had been mentally ill, and in his honor she created the Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program.

Personal struggles
Lovato had suffered from depression, an eating disorder, self-harm, and being bullied before she went into rehab at the age of 18 in November 2010. On October 30, 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 had bulimia, had harmed 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 Lovato's rehab and recovery. She began work on her fourth album the following month. In January 2013, it was reported that Lovato had been living in a sober-living facility in Los Angeles for more than a year because she felt it was the best way to avoid returning to her addictions and eating disorder.

Beliefs
Lovato is a Christian and she prays with her band before they perform. She is an active supporter of gay rights. When the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down in June 2013, she tweeted: "Gay, straight, lesbian, bi. ... No one is better than any one else. What an incredible day for California AND for equality." Lovato later said: "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 an early November 2013 interview with Latina magazine, she said that she finds spirituality to be an important part of maintaining balance in life. She said: "I'm the closest I've ever been with God. I have my own relationship with God and that's all that matters".

On December 23, 2011, Lovato posted a message on Twitter criticizing her former network for airing episodes of Shake It Up and So Random! in which characters joked about eating disorders. Disney Channel publicity officials quickly took action, apologizing to Lovato and removing the episodes from the network's broadcast and video on demand sources after additional criticism (following Lovato's post) on the network's public-relations account.

Lovato identifies as a feminist. She spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia about raising awareness for mental health.

Discography

 * Don't Forget (2008)
 * Here We Go Again (2009)
 * Unbroken (2011)
 * Demi (2013)
 * Confident (2015)

Concert tours

 * Headlining
 * Demi Lovato: Live in Concert (2009–10)
 * A Special Night with Demi Lovato (2011–13)
 * The Neon Lights Tour (2014)
 * Demi World Tour (2014–15)


 * Co-headlining
 * Future Now Tour (with Nick Jonas) (2016)


 * Promotional
 * Demi Live! Warm Up Tour (2008)
 * An Evening with Demi Lovato (2011)


 * Opening act
 * Jonas Brothers – Burnin' Up Tour (2008)
 * Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn World Tour (2008)
 * Jonas Brothers – Jonas Brothers World Tour (2009)
 * Jonas Brothers – Live in Concert World Tour (2010)
 * Enrique Iglesias – Sex and Love Tour (2014)

Publications

 * Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year, Feiwel & Friends (November 19, 2013), ISBN 978-1-250-05144-8
 * Staying Strong: A Journal, Feiwel & Friends (October 7, 2014), ISBN 978-1-250-06352-6