Written before her relapse, it’s a cry for help from a place of loneliness and desperation. “A hundred million stories/And a hundred million songs/I feel stupid when I sing/Nobody’s listening to me,” she belts. On the power ballad “Anyone,” Lovato tries to find solace in her art but comes up short.
Across 19 songs, the 28-year-old leans into her personal struggles the pop star who once professed a desire to “ be free of all demons” has seemingly accepted the reality that she must live alongside them. It is a miracle that she survived.Īrriving alongside the documentary and a blitz of confessional interviews, Lovato’s seventh album, Dancing with the Devil…The Art of Starting Over takes control of the narrative. As she explains in the recent documentary Dancing With the Devil, the drug dealer who supplied Lovato that night sexually assaulted her and left her for dead. On July 24, she overdosed on opioids, causing three strokes, a heart attack, multiple organ failure, pneumonia, permanent brain damage, and lasting vision problems. In the summer of 2018, after six years of sobriety, Lovato relapsed. After entering a treatment facility for the first time at 18, Lovato was transparent about her struggles with addiction and recovery. She recently revealed that she was raped at the age of 15 though she reported the assault to adults, the perpetrator continued to work alongside her. Behind the scenes, Lovato struggled with an eating disorder, self-harm, and substance use. Over the next few years, as she dutifully performed the role of a chaste pop star-albeit one fascinated by metal music-Lovato struggled under the immense pressure of the media and music industries (child stars, we so often forget, are workers). “Oh, a lot,” Lovato immediately retorted. “Come on, how much heartbreak can you have at 16?” the man insisted. “Believe it or not, being 16, I’ve been through a lot,” she answered with a dignified giggle.
This review contains mentions of rape and sexual assault.Īt the 2008 American Music Awards, Demi Lovato-then Disney’s leading lady for her star turn in Camp Rock-smiled as a red-carpet reporter asked about the inspiration behind her pop-punk solo music.