Demi: "I love writing songs."
Demi Lovato is a talented artist, but she loves to write too. The entertainer dished on Thursday night during X Factor that she loves to write songs. While the show on FOX is taped, Demi Lovato gathers with her fans online to talk about the show and share her thoughts as she watches the program with her fans. Chatting about the show on Twitter, Demi talked about her love of writing songs.
“I love writing songs… It’s like putting together the pieces to a therapeutic puzzle,” Demi tweeted. The entertainer also likes to sing, but it sounds like putting together lyrics is good for the soul.
Demi definitely has shown some of her talent with several of her singles. While not every artist loves to put together words in lyrical fashion, the young singer has already proven she has a special way with words. She has a special way with contestants too as she seems very compassionate on X Factor with the contestants she advises and how she crafts her criticism. The entertainer knows how to share a point without having to hurting feelings which is something special.
“I love writing songs… It’s like putting together the pieces to a therapeutic puzzle,” Demi tweeted. The entertainer also likes to sing, but it sounds like putting together lyrics is good for the soul.
Demi definitely has shown some of her talent with several of her singles. While not every artist loves to put together words in lyrical fashion, the young singer has already proven she has a special way with words. She has a special way with contestants too as she seems very compassionate on X Factor with the contestants she advises and how she crafts her criticism. The entertainer knows how to share a point without having to hurting feelings which is something special.
Demi: "I'm not a Barbie doll!"
After a fan threw a Barbie doll onstage at a Demi concert in Brazil this weekend, the body-positive star made a big statement.
“I spent my whole life trying to be this and trying to look like this,” Demi told her fans. “And guess what? I’m not this. And it means the world to me that you guys still love me no matter what.”
Having struggled publicly with issues, the now healthy and happy singer takes every opportunity to remind her fans that, like her, they’ll make it through.
“I’ve been through so much in my 20 years of life,” Demi went on to say. “I know how you guys feel and I want to show you guys that you can get through it because I’m living proof right here.”
With these words, Demi threw the Barbie back into the crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s Z Festival and went into an emotional performance of her hit single “Skyscraper.”
“I spent my whole life trying to be this and trying to look like this,” Demi told her fans. “And guess what? I’m not this. And it means the world to me that you guys still love me no matter what.”
Having struggled publicly with issues, the now healthy and happy singer takes every opportunity to remind her fans that, like her, they’ll make it through.
“I’ve been through so much in my 20 years of life,” Demi went on to say. “I know how you guys feel and I want to show you guys that you can get through it because I’m living proof right here.”
With these words, Demi threw the Barbie back into the crowd at Rio de Janeiro’s Z Festival and went into an emotional performance of her hit single “Skyscraper.”
Demi talks about body imagine issue
Demi Lovato might be a hugely successful pop star with hit songs and a spot at the “X Factor” judges’ table, but the former Disney star was not always confident in her own skin. In fact, her body image issues began at ashockingly young age. While sitting down with Katie Couric, Lovato revealed that she had body issues at just 3 years old.
“When I started having body image issues I remember being three years old in a diaper and rubbing my hand over my stomach…and I remember thinking in my head ‘I wonder if one day this will ever be flat?’” she said.
Lovato, who recalls always wanting to be “very thin,” faced torment in school. She said words “played more of a toll on me than if I was physically abused in school. I’ve always said I wished that they had just hit me in the face and gotten it over with because what they said to me sticks to me to this day and it affected me, (turned) me into the person I am today. I was bullied and they called me fat and they called me horrible things.”
Lovato struggled with bulimia as a young girl, which led to cutting. In 2010, she dropped out of a tour with the Jonas Brothers to seek professional help, where she found out she was bipolar.
“I was compulsively overeating when I was eight years old. So, I guess, for the past 10 years, I’ve had a really unhealthy relationship with food,” she told ABC’s “20/20″ back in 2010, Us Weekly reported. Then she began cutting. “It was a way of expressing my own shame, of myself, on my own body. I was matching the inside to the outside. And there were some times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn’t know what to do. The only way that I could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on myself.”
While on tour with the Jonas Brothers, her problems came back.
“I was performing concerts on an empty stomach,” she said during the 2010 interview. “I was losing my voice from purging. I was self-medicating. I was not taking medication for depression, and I literally was so emotionally whacked out that I took it out on someone that meant a lot to me.”
Lovato, now 20, said that her little sister and other young girls were her reason to keep going and become a role model. Eventually, the singer-actress checked herself into an in-patient program in Illinois that summer.
“Treatment was so difficult at first, I remember walking around saying ‘I’m in prison!’” Lovato told Couric of treating her body issues. “They needed to have those strict rules in order for me to understand how sick I was. I wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom by myself. We had specific phone times. There are tons of things you weren’t allowed to have, you weren’t allowed to have certain hair products or whatever that you could injure yourself with or possibly drink and you were just stripped of a lot of things. I also had somebody watching over me every single time I ate. And if I didn’t finish what was on my plate, and often times I would cry because I physically couldn’t stomach it and if that happened I would have to have little consequences, nothing horrible just not being able to go to the cafeteria to eat.”
She continues to champion for other females trying to cope with similar issues: @ddlovato Don’t forget to paint your pinky nails blue to swear-off bullying with me & #gangupforgood, send pics to @MeanStinks!
“My words of encouragement to teen girls that are suffering from eating disorders, self-harm, anything is to get help,” she said backstage at Couric’s show. “That’s the most important thing that you can do for yourself. It can change your life and potentially save your life.”
During the Monday show, Couric revealed that she also struggled with bulimia as a young woman.
“I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that,” Couric said, according to the New York Post. “And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that’s wrong, you’re full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it’s one cookie or a stick of gum that isn’t sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that.”
“When I started having body image issues I remember being three years old in a diaper and rubbing my hand over my stomach…and I remember thinking in my head ‘I wonder if one day this will ever be flat?’” she said.
Lovato, who recalls always wanting to be “very thin,” faced torment in school. She said words “played more of a toll on me than if I was physically abused in school. I’ve always said I wished that they had just hit me in the face and gotten it over with because what they said to me sticks to me to this day and it affected me, (turned) me into the person I am today. I was bullied and they called me fat and they called me horrible things.”
Lovato struggled with bulimia as a young girl, which led to cutting. In 2010, she dropped out of a tour with the Jonas Brothers to seek professional help, where she found out she was bipolar.
“I was compulsively overeating when I was eight years old. So, I guess, for the past 10 years, I’ve had a really unhealthy relationship with food,” she told ABC’s “20/20″ back in 2010, Us Weekly reported. Then she began cutting. “It was a way of expressing my own shame, of myself, on my own body. I was matching the inside to the outside. And there were some times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn’t know what to do. The only way that I could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on myself.”
While on tour with the Jonas Brothers, her problems came back.
“I was performing concerts on an empty stomach,” she said during the 2010 interview. “I was losing my voice from purging. I was self-medicating. I was not taking medication for depression, and I literally was so emotionally whacked out that I took it out on someone that meant a lot to me.”
Lovato, now 20, said that her little sister and other young girls were her reason to keep going and become a role model. Eventually, the singer-actress checked herself into an in-patient program in Illinois that summer.
“Treatment was so difficult at first, I remember walking around saying ‘I’m in prison!’” Lovato told Couric of treating her body issues. “They needed to have those strict rules in order for me to understand how sick I was. I wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom by myself. We had specific phone times. There are tons of things you weren’t allowed to have, you weren’t allowed to have certain hair products or whatever that you could injure yourself with or possibly drink and you were just stripped of a lot of things. I also had somebody watching over me every single time I ate. And if I didn’t finish what was on my plate, and often times I would cry because I physically couldn’t stomach it and if that happened I would have to have little consequences, nothing horrible just not being able to go to the cafeteria to eat.”
She continues to champion for other females trying to cope with similar issues: @ddlovato Don’t forget to paint your pinky nails blue to swear-off bullying with me & #gangupforgood, send pics to @MeanStinks!
“My words of encouragement to teen girls that are suffering from eating disorders, self-harm, anything is to get help,” she said backstage at Couric’s show. “That’s the most important thing that you can do for yourself. It can change your life and potentially save your life.”
During the Monday show, Couric revealed that she also struggled with bulimia as a young woman.
“I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that,” Couric said, according to the New York Post. “And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that’s wrong, you’re full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it’s one cookie or a stick of gum that isn’t sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that.”
Demi about bullying
Demi Lovato surprised freshmen at the Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem last Thursday, when she turned up during their “Drama Free School Year” anti-bullying assembly. The 20-year-old “X Factor” judge joined up with Secret to inspire students to “gang up for good” against girl-to-girl bullying. Lovato is now the deodorant brand’s “Mean Stinks” Ambassador.
“I had a personal experience with bullying. I actually ended up leaving middle school because I had dealt with really crazy verbal harassment that I just couldn’t take anymore,” Lovato told MTV News at the school. “I didn’t really have anybody to look up to that was raising the awareness in the public spotlight, so I want to be that role model for other young people.”
During the event, Lovato shared her story with the all-girl student body and even gave some helpful hints on how they could inspire change among their classmates and friends. “Demi said to turn something negative into a positive, like how she turned her bullying into her successful music career,” 14-year-old Min Liang said. Superfan Sofia Sanchez also took Lovato’s advice to heart, explaining it’s not just the singer’s words that she relates to.
“Her music is, like, really inspiring because it tells her story and she’s been through a lot, so her music shows that,” Sanchez said. “You should never stoop down to a bully’s level, and be strong and don’t be afraid to be yourself.”
Lovato, who took home her first Moonman at this year’s VMAs after her “Skyscraper” won Best Video With a Message, said two wrongs don’t make a right. Instead of retaliating against a bully, she encouraged young people to channel their energy into more positive outlets like school work or pursuing their dreams.
“I just want them to know that they’re strong and that they can get through it,” Lovato added. “They’re beautiful and no matter what other people say about them, they’re worth it and you can get through it; I did myself.”
“I had a personal experience with bullying. I actually ended up leaving middle school because I had dealt with really crazy verbal harassment that I just couldn’t take anymore,” Lovato told MTV News at the school. “I didn’t really have anybody to look up to that was raising the awareness in the public spotlight, so I want to be that role model for other young people.”
During the event, Lovato shared her story with the all-girl student body and even gave some helpful hints on how they could inspire change among their classmates and friends. “Demi said to turn something negative into a positive, like how she turned her bullying into her successful music career,” 14-year-old Min Liang said. Superfan Sofia Sanchez also took Lovato’s advice to heart, explaining it’s not just the singer’s words that she relates to.
“Her music is, like, really inspiring because it tells her story and she’s been through a lot, so her music shows that,” Sanchez said. “You should never stoop down to a bully’s level, and be strong and don’t be afraid to be yourself.”
Lovato, who took home her first Moonman at this year’s VMAs after her “Skyscraper” won Best Video With a Message, said two wrongs don’t make a right. Instead of retaliating against a bully, she encouraged young people to channel their energy into more positive outlets like school work or pursuing their dreams.
“I just want them to know that they’re strong and that they can get through it,” Lovato added. “They’re beautiful and no matter what other people say about them, they’re worth it and you can get through it; I did myself.”
Demi: Secret Mean Stinks Ambassador
Demi Lovato has a secret to share: Growing up wasn’t always easy for her.
“I had a really tough time when I was in middle school,” the X Factor judge, 20, tells PEOPLE. “People would write ‘hate petitions’ [about me] and send them around to be signed. They’d have CD-bashing parties of my demos. They’d come to my house, stand across the street and yell things. It was a very emotional time for me, and all I wanted to do was get away.”
It was so bad, in fact, that Lovato believes it’s part of what led her to seek treatment for issues nearly two years ago.
“Back then, there were times I didn’t think I’d be able to move on,” she admits.
Fortunately, Lovato has made it to the “other side,” and is now drawing on those painful experiences as the new ambassador for Secret’s “Mean Stinks” campaign, encouraging girls to “gang up for good” to end bullying in schools.
“I heard about the program last year, and thought it was such a great opportunity,” Lovato says. “They’re really trying to put an end to bullying.”
Thursday morning, the star surprised students at New York City’s Young Women’s Leadership School to talk to them about the program, which asks girls to pledge to have a “Drama Free School Year” by making a pinky swear, symbolized by wearing blue nail polish on their pinky fingers.
“I’ll definitely be wearing [the nail polish] starting soon,” Lovato says. “It’s a conversation starter: ‘Hey, why is your pinky blue?’ ‘This is a pinky promise that I’m not going to bully people, that me and my friends are ganging up for good.’ “
To help, Secret will donate $1 (up to $150,000) from the purchase of every Mean Stinks Clinical Strength deodorant to the cause. Learn more about the program on Secret’s Facebook page.
“I had a really tough time when I was in middle school,” the X Factor judge, 20, tells PEOPLE. “People would write ‘hate petitions’ [about me] and send them around to be signed. They’d have CD-bashing parties of my demos. They’d come to my house, stand across the street and yell things. It was a very emotional time for me, and all I wanted to do was get away.”
It was so bad, in fact, that Lovato believes it’s part of what led her to seek treatment for issues nearly two years ago.
“Back then, there were times I didn’t think I’d be able to move on,” she admits.
Fortunately, Lovato has made it to the “other side,” and is now drawing on those painful experiences as the new ambassador for Secret’s “Mean Stinks” campaign, encouraging girls to “gang up for good” to end bullying in schools.
“I heard about the program last year, and thought it was such a great opportunity,” Lovato says. “They’re really trying to put an end to bullying.”
Thursday morning, the star surprised students at New York City’s Young Women’s Leadership School to talk to them about the program, which asks girls to pledge to have a “Drama Free School Year” by making a pinky swear, symbolized by wearing blue nail polish on their pinky fingers.
“I’ll definitely be wearing [the nail polish] starting soon,” Lovato says. “It’s a conversation starter: ‘Hey, why is your pinky blue?’ ‘This is a pinky promise that I’m not going to bully people, that me and my friends are ganging up for good.’ “
To help, Secret will donate $1 (up to $150,000) from the purchase of every Mean Stinks Clinical Strength deodorant to the cause. Learn more about the program on Secret’s Facebook page.
Billboard.com: 21 Under 21 List!
They’ve got hit records, millions of fans, and the kind of success most musicians only dream of — and they can’t even uncork a bottle of champagne to celebrate their success. Welcome to Billboard.com’s 2012 edition of 21 Under 21, our annual ranking of music’s most powerful minors:
No. 3: Demi Lovato
Last Year’s Rank: 7
Birthdate: August 20, 1992 (Age 20)
Why She’s Hot: Far removed from the personal problems that threatened her career two years ago, Demi Lovato has used the support of her fans and some ubiquitous pop tunes to triumphantly rebound to the upper reaches of our 21 Under 21 list. The former Disney star’s 2011 album “Unbroken” yielded her first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100, “Skyscraper,” but follow-up single “Give Your Heart a Break” was even more of a hit and has spent nearly half a year on the chart. Meanwhile, Lovato scored a prime TV gig by joining the U.S. “X Factor,” where she can judge other aspiring vocalists alongside Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and another pop princess, Britney Spears. Throw in an acclaimed summer tour with Hot Chelle Rae and a hosting gig at the Teen Choice Awards, and this year was one in which Lovato made the leap into the upper echelon of pop personalities.
No. 3: Demi Lovato
Last Year’s Rank: 7
Birthdate: August 20, 1992 (Age 20)
Why She’s Hot: Far removed from the personal problems that threatened her career two years ago, Demi Lovato has used the support of her fans and some ubiquitous pop tunes to triumphantly rebound to the upper reaches of our 21 Under 21 list. The former Disney star’s 2011 album “Unbroken” yielded her first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100, “Skyscraper,” but follow-up single “Give Your Heart a Break” was even more of a hit and has spent nearly half a year on the chart. Meanwhile, Lovato scored a prime TV gig by joining the U.S. “X Factor,” where she can judge other aspiring vocalists alongside Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and another pop princess, Britney Spears. Throw in an acclaimed summer tour with Hot Chelle Rae and a hosting gig at the Teen Choice Awards, and this year was one in which Lovato made the leap into the upper echelon of pop personalities.
Demi shines as "X-Factor" judge
Although all eyes have been on Britney Spears this week during the X Factor season premiere, Demi Lovato has been in the shadows creating a name for herself on the singing reality show. PEOPLE magazine reports that while Lovato, 20, is a full decade younger than the queen of pop, she shouldn’t be ruled out, as both powerhouses have reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard music charts.
And while some viewers may not think Lovato has enough experiences to qualify as a judge, the young starlet has been through her fair share of trials, helping her to have empathy and understanding of the tough road that is making it in the music industry. According to E! News, Lovato has a kind heart and lots of love to give, which make her instantly likeable amongst viewers. When 19-year-old contestant Jillian Jensen shared her troubled past with the judges during her audition, Lovato was quick to comfort her with a hug and say,
“It’s OK. I know exactly what you’ve gone through.”
Another reason Demi is rocking her new job? She isn’t afraid to bicker and talk back to fellow judge, and boss, Simon Cowell. And we all know how entertaining it is to see someone put that man in his place!
The X Factor comes on FOX at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
And while some viewers may not think Lovato has enough experiences to qualify as a judge, the young starlet has been through her fair share of trials, helping her to have empathy and understanding of the tough road that is making it in the music industry. According to E! News, Lovato has a kind heart and lots of love to give, which make her instantly likeable amongst viewers. When 19-year-old contestant Jillian Jensen shared her troubled past with the judges during her audition, Lovato was quick to comfort her with a hug and say,
“It’s OK. I know exactly what you’ve gone through.”
Another reason Demi is rocking her new job? She isn’t afraid to bicker and talk back to fellow judge, and boss, Simon Cowell. And we all know how entertaining it is to see someone put that man in his place!
The X Factor comes on FOX at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Demi teases Cowell: He's a bit of an a-hole.
Cover your ears, Simon Cowell! Your X Factor buddy and fellow judge Demi Lovato has some choice words for you. When asked about working with Cowell on the hit reality show at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., Lovato told reporters backstage,
“Well, you know, I think he’s a bit of an asshole. I am joking,” she quickly laughed. “We have so much fun together. He is amazing. He has given me an amazing opportunity. We like to tease each other and go back and forth, but behind stage, we actually love each other.”
Lovato had nothing negative to say about other X Factor judge Britney Spears. “Working with someone that I idolize is absolutely a dream come true,” she gushed. We also asked the 20-year-old if she had any singing competition advice for new American Idol judge Mariah Carey.
“I can’t give any advice to Mariah Carey,” she laughed. “That would just be silly. I am still new at judging myself, so I really can’t give anyone advice.”
Lovato then weighed in on all the rumors surrounding which music star should join Carey at the AI judging table. “Who I would like to see on American Idol would be Nick Jonas,” she said. “I heard he was in the running.”
“Well, you know, I think he’s a bit of an asshole. I am joking,” she quickly laughed. “We have so much fun together. He is amazing. He has given me an amazing opportunity. We like to tease each other and go back and forth, but behind stage, we actually love each other.”
Lovato had nothing negative to say about other X Factor judge Britney Spears. “Working with someone that I idolize is absolutely a dream come true,” she gushed. We also asked the 20-year-old if she had any singing competition advice for new American Idol judge Mariah Carey.
“I can’t give any advice to Mariah Carey,” she laughed. “That would just be silly. I am still new at judging myself, so I really can’t give anyone advice.”
Lovato then weighed in on all the rumors surrounding which music star should join Carey at the AI judging table. “Who I would like to see on American Idol would be Nick Jonas,” she said. “I heard he was in the running.”