Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actress and spokesperson. Her earliest roles included Angela on Barney & Friends, before she became better known for her starring roles in the Camp Rock movies, as Sonny Munroe in the Disney sitcom Sonny with a Chance, and as the star of the 2009 movie Princess Protection Program. She is also involved in philanthropic activities through charity work and various social and environmental causes.
As a solo musical artist, Demi released her debut album Don't Forget on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since shipped over 500,000 copies, earning a gold certification in the United States. Demi released her second album, Here We Go Again, on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 108,000 copies in the first week. Her third studio album, Unbroken, was released on September 20, 2011 and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. She is working on her fourth studio album.
As of fall 2012, Demi is a judge on the second season of the American version of The X Factor.
As a solo musical artist, Demi released her debut album Don't Forget on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since shipped over 500,000 copies, earning a gold certification in the United States. Demi released her second album, Here We Go Again, on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 108,000 copies in the first week. Her third studio album, Unbroken, was released on September 20, 2011 and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. She is working on her fourth studio album.
As of fall 2012, Demi is a judge on the second season of the American version of The X Factor.
Early Life
Demi was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 20, 1992, and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is the daughter of Dianna Hart de la Garza (born Dianna Lee Smith) and Patrick Martin Lovato. Her ancestry includes Mexican, Irish, Italian, and English roots. She has an older sister, Dallas Lovato, and a younger half-sister, Madison de la Garza, from her mother's re-marriage. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country musicrecording artist. Demi began playing piano at the age of seven. Demi also began her acting career at the age of seven on the children's television series Barney & Friends as Angela, appearing in seasons seven and eight alongside long time friend Selena Gomez. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Demi revealed going through painful experiences with bullying in the seventh grade. Demi stated in an interview with 20/20 in 2011 that she had had a "really unhealthy relationship with food" since age 8 due to bullying experienced as a child, and self-mutilated her wrists to cope with her emotions and depression since age 11. In an interview with Fabulous Magazine UK, she stated, "They called me a whore and told me I was fat and ugly. I shouldn't have listened, but I took it to heart and it hurt. I thought maybe I didn't have friends because I was too fat," she remembers. So she starved herself, and anything she did eat, she threw up again. Within six months she had lost over 2st (28 lbs) and weighed 6st 4 lb (88 lbs) - unhealthy for her 5 ft 2in height. "I'd make myself sick up to six times a day," she says. "My mom was worried, but because I was going through puberty I was having growth spurts so she assumed that was why I was thinner." According to Demi, the bullying was so bad that one day, in a fit of frustration and distress, she requested her mom give her a home-schooled education. Demi earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. Demi later became a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on America's Next Top Model and CNN to speak out against bullying.
Bullying
Demi is the spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER. Demi explained to NY Post about becoming a spokesperson against bullying “Bullying is a very serious thing to me, I’ve witnessed it first hand – I was bullied myself when I was 12, I want to be able to help other girls around [my sister’s] age come into their own with a strong confidence in their skin, their size, who they are and everything about themselves.” Demi is also the spokesperson for the Join the Surge Campaign!, DoSomething.Org and the Clean & Clear Brand launched Joining the Surge, which is a national campaign that empowers teenagers to take action in their communities.
Lovato is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcementsto raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Demi, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2009. The song debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty. Disney's Friends For Change will direct all of its proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Demi and Joe Jonas recorded a new song called "Make a Wave", the second charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2010. In January 2010, Lovato was one of the many stars featured in a public service announcement for Voto Latino in order to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign for the 2010 United States Census. Demi is also part of the "A Day Made Better" School Advocacy Campaign. "The campaign is giving a deserving teacher with $1,000 in school supplies on behalf of OfficeMax’s “A Day Made Better” school advocacy campaign." Demi has also supported charities such as DonateMyDress.org, Kids Wish Network, Love Our Children USA, ST. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and City of Hope. To raise awareness about personal issues similar to her own, Demi became a Contributing Editor to Seventeen magazine. She will discuss her personal issues as a part of a larger campaign called "Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect", directed towards teen girls. She has been honored The Honorary Ambassador of Education award from the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders.
Lovato is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcementsto raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Demi, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2009. The song debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty. Disney's Friends For Change will direct all of its proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Demi and Joe Jonas recorded a new song called "Make a Wave", the second charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2010. In January 2010, Lovato was one of the many stars featured in a public service announcement for Voto Latino in order to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign for the 2010 United States Census. Demi is also part of the "A Day Made Better" School Advocacy Campaign. "The campaign is giving a deserving teacher with $1,000 in school supplies on behalf of OfficeMax’s “A Day Made Better” school advocacy campaign." Demi has also supported charities such as DonateMyDress.org, Kids Wish Network, Love Our Children USA, ST. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and City of Hope. To raise awareness about personal issues similar to her own, Demi became a Contributing Editor to Seventeen magazine. She will discuss her personal issues as a part of a larger campaign called "Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect", directed towards teen girls. She has been honored The Honorary Ambassador of Education award from the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders.
Demi's Influences
Growing up, her musical influences were Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson and Christina Aguilera.
In an MTV interview, Demi stated that she likes metal music, particularly black metal and metalcore. She called symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir"one of her favorite live acts". On the July 24, 2009 episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, she stated that three of her favorite bands were metalcore/symphonic black metal band Abigail Williams, deathcore band Job for a Cowboy and southern metal band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. On another episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, after the release of Unbroken, she stated that she is now more into hip-hop and R&B styles of music, and has moved on from death metal. Her favorite R&B artist is Rihanna because she thinks her voice is "amazing" and she "loves all the songs she [Rihanna] performs".
In an MTV interview, Demi stated that she likes metal music, particularly black metal and metalcore. She called symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir"one of her favorite live acts". On the July 24, 2009 episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, she stated that three of her favorite bands were metalcore/symphonic black metal band Abigail Williams, deathcore band Job for a Cowboy and southern metal band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. On another episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, after the release of Unbroken, she stated that she is now more into hip-hop and R&B styles of music, and has moved on from death metal. Her favorite R&B artist is Rihanna because she thinks her voice is "amazing" and she "loves all the songs she [Rihanna] performs".
Demi's Voice
Demi's vocals have been critically acclaimed from music critics. Nick Levine of Digital Spy commented on Demi's vocals on the album, Don't Forget: "she's certainly a stronger singer than the Jonases. In fact, her full-bodied vocal performances are consistently impressive." Jeff Miers from The Buffalo News commented about Demi's vocals on the album, Here We Go Again: "Unlike so many of her Disney-fied peers, Demi can really sing, and part of what makes her sophomore effort appealing is the lack of in-studio vocal manipulation." Miers further wrote that it is "refreshing" that Demi does not need Auto-Tune "to mask any lack of natural ability". Singer and producer Ryan Tedder who worked on her album, Unbroken said of her voice: "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." Becky Brain of Idolator wrote Lovato has a "killer voice and the A-list material to put it to good use".