LOOKING BACK ON THE EVOLUTION OF DEMI LOVATO, FROM BUBBLEGUM DISNEY PRINCESS TO TORTURED, POP ROCK POET, IS A DIZZYING JOURNEY, ONE FILLED WITH BOTH TORMENT AND TENDERNESS

BY EVAN MONROE

The Disney Kid’s Club factory has been America’s most dependable pipeline for creating its biggest pop stars. Among its daunting list of former members are: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, and the Jonas Brothers. But among the list of shiny mega stars, one artist stands out for exposing her darker edges, the shadows that accompany the full human experience. Enter Demi Lovato.
Lovato has always seemed to be both part of the Billboard-topping star system and powerfully not a part of it. The Disney College of Pop Stardom may birthed Demi Lovato, but it certainly hasn’t been what’s sustained her since she left it. In fact, one could very convincingly argue that she is less an alum of Disney than she is a survivor of it. Each of her albums represents some kind of departure from the ones before it, either by musical style or lyrical topics. A quick listen to a selection of her records chronologically reveals the impressive growth:
Don’t Forget (2008)
Demi was just 15 years old when her debut record was released, and as you might expect, it largely reflects the innocent thoughts of a normal teenage girl, no matter how famous. Upbeat pop tunes prevail here, though the strength of the vocals belies her age. Among all the bubblegum, however, the first kernels of the mental health struggles that will haunt her in later years can be found in songs like “Get Back” and “Lo Que Soy.”
Unbroken (2011)
Though 2009’s Here We Go Again definitely hinted at the turmoil in her life, it’s this collection that pushes those struggles to the forefront, as this album was released after Lovato’s stint in rehab. Her honest vulnerability is palpable as Lovato addresses her struggles with addiction and eating disorders, finding strength in adversity.
Con¬fident (2015)
Whereas the embrace of full plastic (but catchy) pop in 2013’s Demi felt like a retreat, this 2015 album found Lovato as her most confident and self-assured self up to that point. The focus on empowerment is laced into both the music and the subject matter, as Lovato belts out love songs to her fans and to herself. ¬ That said, the record also contains stunningly personal tracks like “Cool for the Summer” and “Stone Cold.”
Tell Me You Love Me (2017)
This is Lovato’s most playfully experimental record, as she joyfully hops from pop to R&B to soul, with vocals almost crystalline in their power in songs like “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Daddy Issues.” ¬ is the record is the first to chart her growth more through the music than the lyrics.
Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over (2021) / Holy Fvck (2022)
The covers of Demi’s 2021 2022 back-to-back LPs powerfully indicate the stylistic changes within: the warping funhouse mirror on Dancing, and a bound figure on a cross-shaped hospital bed on Holy. Both records reflect the horror Lovato herself experienced after falling off the wagon in 2018, ending in an opioid overdose that caused three strokes, a heart attack, permanent brain damage, and lasting vision problems. Lovato had long professed a fascination with darker genres like metal, and these LPs are beautiful pop-rock exercises in a kind of catharsis through self-laceration, pointing the way for an exciting future for Lovato, the person, and the artist.

Demi Lovato
demilovato.com