Demi Lovato Biography
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Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. 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, Lovato released her debut album Don't Forget on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since shipped over 500,000 copies, earning a gold certification in the United States. Lovato 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.
In fall 2012, Lovato will be a judge on the second season of the American version of The X Factor.
Lovato was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 20, 1992, and raised in Dallas, Texas, to Patrick Lovato and Dianna Hart de la Garza. She is of Mexican, Irish, and Italian descent. She has an older sister, Dallas Lovato, and a younger half sister, Madison de la Garza. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country music recording artist. Lovato began playing piano at the age of seven. Lovato 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, Lovato revealed going through painful experiences with bullying in the seventh grade. According to Lovato, 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. Lovato earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. Lovato also 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. Lovato later became a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on America's Next Top Model and CNN to speak out against bullying. She has described herself as very spiritual rather than very religious and said she believes in God.
In 2006 Lovato guest starred on Prison Break as Danielle Curtin in the episode "First Down." She also appeared in the second season of the television sitcom Just Jordan as Nicole, in the episode "Slippery When Wet." In January 2007, she landed the role of Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel Original Short Series, As the Bell Rings, which premiered on August 26, 2007. A few of her original songs, including "Shadow", were featured on the show.
In the summer of 2007, Lovato auditioned for the Disney Channel television film Camp Rock and the television series Sonny with a Chance in the same day and got both parts. For Camp Rock, she submitted an audition tape and Gary Marsh, Disney's president of entertainment, asked her to sing. She sang Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man", and Hollywood Records senior vice president Bob Cavallo said that their "jaws just dropped". Lovato received the lead role in Camp Rock, and a record deal with Hollywood Records in early 2008. In Camp Rock she played Mitchie Torres, a fourteen-year-old girl with hopes of becoming a singer. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008, in the United States on the Disney Channel with 8.9 million viewers, making Lovato a household name among young viewers. She provided vocals on four of the songs featured on the Camp Rock soundtrack, including "This Is Me" featuring Joe Jonas. The song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In June and July 2008, Lovato performed at various House of Blues and parks for her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour in preparation for the release of her debut album and the Burnin' Up Tour with the Jonas Brothers. Lovato served as the support act on the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour from July through September 2008.
Lovato's debut album, Don't Forget was released in the fall of 2008. The bulk of the album was co-written with the Jonas Brothers, who also produced the album with John Fields. They co-wrote ten songs in a week during the band's headlining Look Me in the Eyes Tour. The album is of the pop-rock genre and is lyrically similar to other teen-pop albums. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 89,000 units in its first week of release. It has since sold over 500,000 records in the US. Critics noticed the distinct sound of the Jonas Brothers in the production of the album. Don't Forget spawned three singles, "Get Back", "La La Land" and "Don't Forget", all of which were moderately successful, peaking around the top 40 and 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. The most successful of which was the title track which was one position shy of entering the top 40 songs. Sonny With a Chance premiered on February 8, 2009, Lovato starred as Sonny Munroe, the new cast member of a live sketch comedy show titled So Random!. In June 2009 Lovato co-starred in Princess Protection Program as Princess Rosalinda alongside Selena Gomez on the Disney Channel. The made-for-television movie is the third highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie, premiering on the Disney Channel with 9.8 million viewers.
Lovato joined Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior," and appears in its public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On," a charity single that served as the theme song for the organization in 2009. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #20. Disney's Friends for Change directed all of its proceeds from "Send It On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato and Joe Jonas "Make a Wave" in 2010, the second charity single that currently serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change.
Lovato embarked on the Summer Tour 2009 to promote her second album, Here We Go Again, released in the summer of 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 records sold in its first week. The album was more inspired by acoustic music, such as John Mayer's songs, than her debut's pop rock-influenced sound. The album received favorable reviews from critics,Billboard called Lovato "a natural talent who could really take flight after outgrowing Disney."Allmusic ranked Here We Go Again as one of the best pop albums of 2009. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Here We Go Again," which was released on June 23, 2009. It reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "Remember December," was released on November 17, 2009, but only managed to reach #6 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 (number 106 on the Hot 100).
In September 2009, production began for Camp Rock's sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. The Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on September 3, 2010, upon which it gained 8 million viewers. 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. Lovato returned for a second season of Sonny with a Chance and appeared as a guest star in an episode of the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy as a teenage patient named Hayley May, whose parents brought her in for schizophrenia. In a review of the episode, EW.com praised her performance, stating, "I still believe that even an unbiased observer would conclude that the Disney princess did a fine job acting it up as a suicidal 16-year-old who was admitted after trying to claw her own eyes out." Lovato began dating Joe Jonas, whom she first met while filming the first Camp Rock film. They split up in May. Lovato's South American Tour was her first international headlining tour. The tour commenced on May 23, 2010, in Santiago, Chile, and concluded on May 28, 2010, in São Paulo, Brazil. She later joined the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert tour as a special guest.
Lovato began work on her third studio album in 2010, however work on the album was delayed when Lovato entered a rehabilation center for physical and emotional issues in early November 2010. She left the treatment center in late January 2011. In April 2011, Lovato confirmed she would not return to Sonny with a Chance and will instead focus on her music career, stating that "it's kind of sad for me that a chapter of my life has ended but there couldn't be a better time for me to move on...I don't think going back to Sonny would be healthy for my recovery...Being in front of a camera would make me nervous." To raise awareness about personal issues similar to her own, Lovato 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.
Lovato's third studio album, Unbroken, was released on September 20, 2011. Lovato began working on the album in July 2010, prior to receiving treatment. She had described it as having a more soulful and R&B inspired sound, citing Keri Hilson and Rihanna as inspirations for the sound. After Lovato's stint in the treatment facility, producer Timbaland expressed interest in working with her. Lovato confirmed in July 2011 that she was working on a duet with the producer. The album was described as more "radio friendly" than her previous albums, as she planned to incorporate dance, hip-hop and R&B styles in it. The first single off the album, "Skyscraper", premiered on July 12, 2011, as a promotional single, before the album released. Unbroken officially released on September 20, 2011, with sales exceeding 96,000 copies in its first week of release. Lovato scored her first top 10 debut on the Billboard 100, as "Skyscraper" debuted at number 10. The song has sold over 1,000,000 digital copies and was officially certified Platinum in the United States on April 24, 2012. On October 24, 2011, Lovato performed the National Anthem at Game 5 of the 2011 World Series. The album's second single, "Give Your Heart a Break", was officially released on January 23, 2012. Lovato revealed her Summer Tour 2012 and will begin on June 12, 2012 and end on September 1, 2012.
On April 4, 2012, Lovato announced on Twitter that writing for her fourth studio album had began, saying that she was "so excited to start writing for my fourth album", and that "this time, there's NO holding back.." Lovato said in an April 2012 interview with KOKO POP UK that music is currently her "top priority", but that she is "kind of getting the itch to get back into acting, so we'll see what comes next." In an interview with Fabulous Magazine UK, Lovato will not come back to acting until she is fully confident. "I need to be secure in my body before I go back in front of the camera. Anyone in recovery from an eating disorder would find that triggering, and I'm not ready," she says.
On May 14, 2012, it was confirmed that Lovato will be a judge on the second season of The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and fellow new judge Britney Spears.
Lovato has partnered with mall proprietor GGP as the face of Shop Til You Rock, a music-inspired series of public events, which kick off at malls around the US in Summer 2010. The combines the season’s hottest fashions & today’s most popular musical guests in a series of interactive events. Lovato is also the spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER. Lovato 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.”
Lovato 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 announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Lovato, 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. Lovato 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.
Lovato 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."
Lovato has also supported the following charities:
In an MTV interview, Lovato 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, Lovato 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 her 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. In the March 2009 issue of Teen Vogue, Lovato stated, "My first passion is music, because it comes naturally to me. Acting has been like a hobby."
Lovato is a Christian and prays with her band before they perform. She was best friends with Selena Gomez, whom she has known since Lovato "asked her to sit on my jacket and draw with crayons with me" at the Barney & Friends auditions.
On March 12, 2010, Lovato confirmed that she had begun dating Joe Jonas, whom she first met while filming Camp Rock in 2007. On May 24, 2010, Lovato confirmed via her official Twitter that she and Jonas were no longer together. In an interview with UsMagazine, Jonas stated, "Demi and I knew that going into our romantic relationship it may not be an easy one. I realize that over the time we have spent together that I feel I care more about our friendship right now. It was my choice to break up, but I love her as a friend. She's been there for me when I needed her. I will continue to be her friend and be there for her." Lovato is a vegetarian. Lovato has been honored The Honorary Ambassador of Education award from the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders.
In 2010, on her 18th birthday, Lovato bought her family a Mediterranean Style house in Los Angeles. She said, "For me to give that to my family on my birthday, that was the best present." then added, "It's got pretty much everything you could possibly imagine in it. It's the most beautiful, homey-feeling house. I love it." Lovato also purchased their current $1.88 million home in Toluca Lake, LA. She bought the house when she was 16 years old.
Lovato has been an inspiration to millions of teenage girls with her campaign "Stay Strong" and "Love is Louder than the pressure to be Perfect". She has 6,885,091 followers on twitter and 13,034,276 fans on facebook as of 16th May, 2012.
On October 30, 2010, Lovato dropped out of the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert World Tour 2010 in order to enter a treatment facility to treat physical and emotional issues. In particular, many media sources immediately reported that Lovato had decided to enter treatment right after punching a Jonas Brothers back-up dancer, Alex Welch, on a flight out of Bogotá, Colombia, allegedly because Lovato believed that Welch had informed tour managers of inappropriate behaviour on Lovato's part the previous night, causing Lovato to be confronted by her managers and her stepfather, Eddie de la Garza. Lovato's camp reached a financial settlement with Welch in late December 2010, with Welch stating that the agreement stipulated for a portion of the settlement to be donated to charity. On January 28, 2011, it was reported that Lovato had completed her inpatient treatment. She took six months off from the limelight after leaving rehab.
Lovato granted her first post-rehab interview to ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, which aired on Good Morning America and 20/20 on April 22, 2011. During the interview, Lovato confirmed reports that her treatment was for bulimia and self-injury, and had taken place at the Timberline Knolls facility in Illinois after the aforementioned confrontation between her and Welch led to an intervention by her family and management team. Her condition came to a head during the tour because Lovato "was performing concerts on an empty stomach...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." Later elaborating on this "self-medicating", Lovato said, "I'm not gonna lie. I was self-medicating. I was doing things like drinking and using [drugs], like a lot of teens do to numb their pain." Lovato expressed regret at her actions towards Welch, stating "I take 100 percent, full responsibility..." In another interview, Lovato added that she had "basically had a nervous breakdown", and was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder during her treatment.
On December 23, 2011, Lovato posted a message on Twitter criticizing her former network for airing episodes of Shake It Up and So Random! which featured characters making jokes about eating disorders. Disney Channel publicity officials quickly took action and apologized to Lovato, then removed those episodes from the network's airing cycle and video on demand sources, after further criticism in the wake of Lovato's message to the network's public relations account.
On March 2012, Lovato released her MTV documentary special called "Stay Strong" about her time in rehab. In the documentary, she opened about her fans, battling her eating disorders and getting back to touring.