text: demi lovato " demi " lovato ( / / dem - ee - vah - toh or lə - vah - toh ; born august 20 , 1992 ) is an american singer , songwriter , and actress who made her debut as a child actress in barney & friends . in 2008 , lovato rose to prominence in the disney channel television film camp rock and signed a recording contract with hollywood records . musically , lovato is considered a pop , pop rock , and r & b artist . she released her debut album , don 't forget , in september 2008 ; it debuted at no. 2 on the u.s. billboard 200 and has been certified gold by the recording industry association of america ( riaa ) for sales of over 530 , 000 copies . in 2009 , lovato received her own television series , sonny with a chance . her second album , here we go again , was released that july and debuted at number one on the u.s. billboard 200 , and it has been certified gold by the riaa for sales of over 496 , 000 copies . its title track became her first single to reach the top 20 of the billboard hot 100 , reaching number 15 , and was certified platinum . after the release of additional television films and their soundtracks in 2010 , lovato 's personal issues put her career on hiatus and ended sonny with a chance after its second season . her third album , unbroken ( 2011 ) , addresses several of her difficulties . its lead single , " skyscraper " , became lovato 's second top ten single as well as first platinum single in the united states ; its second single , " give your heart a break " , was certified triple platinum . lovato was a judge and mentor on the american version of the x factor in 2012 and 2013 . her fourth album , demi ( 2013 ) , had first - week sales of 110 , 000 copies ( the best debut week of lovato 's recording career ) and debuted at number three on the billboard 200 . its lead single , " heart attack " , became her third top ten on the billboard hot 100 . it also peaked at no. 3 in the united kingdom , becoming her highest charting single and first to reach the top 10 in the uk . lovato 's fifth album , confident ( 2015 ) , debuted at number two on the billboard 200 . its lead single " cool for the summer " peaked at number eleven on the hot 100 and was certified platinum . lovato has won a number of awards , including an mtv video music award , 13 teen choice awards , five people 's choice awards , an alma award , and a billboard touring award . in 2013 , maxim ranked her 26th on its hot 100 list and billboard ranked her second on its social 50 artists of the year list . outside the entertainment industry , lovato is involved with several social and environmental causes . in may 2013 , she was cited for her dedication as a mentor to teens and young adults with mental health challenges at a national children 's mental health awareness day hosted by the substance abuse and mental health services administration in washington , d.c. she has also become an advocate for the lgbt community . in 2014 , she was announced as the grand marshal for la pride week , and that same year she became the face for human rights campaign 's americans for marriage equality campaign . life and career 1992 – 2006 : early life and career beginnings lovato was born on august 20 , 1992 in albuquerque , new mexico , to engineer and musician patrick martin lovato ( 1960 — june 22 , 2013 ) and former dallas cowboys cheerleader dianna lee hart ( nee smith ; born august 8 , 1962 ) . lovato has an older sister , dallas ( born february 4 , 1988 ) ; a younger maternal half - sister , actress madison de la garza ; and an older paternal half - sister , amber , to whom she first spoke when she was 20 . lovato 's parents divorced in the late summer of 1994 , shortly after her second birthday . lovato 's father was of mexican descent , while her mother has english and irish ancestry . through her father , lovato is a descendant of civil war union veteran francisco perea ( 1830 – 1913 ) and santa fe de nuevo méxico governor francisco xavier chávez . lovato was raised in dallas , texas . with selena gomez , she began her acting career on the children 's television series barney & friends as angela . she began playing piano at age seven and guitar at ten , when she also began dancing and acting classes . lovato told ellen degeneres that she was bullied so badly that she asked for homeschooling , and she received her high - school diploma through homeschooling in april 2009 . she later became a spokesperson for the anti - bullying organization and appeared on america 's next top model to speak out against bullying . in 2006 , lovato appeared on prison break , and on just jordan the following year . as of september 2015 , lovato 's name appears on the " unclaimed coogan " list , which is a fund for child actors whose earnings were partially withheld , but which remain unclaimed by the former child performers . 2007 – 08 : camp rock and don 't forget in 2007 and 2008 , lovato played charlotte adams on the disney channel short series as the bell rings . lovato auditioned for the channel 's television film camp rock and series sonny with a chance during the summer of 2007 , and got both roles . lovato played the lead character , aspiring singer torres , in camp rock . the film premiered on june 20 , 2008 to 8 . 9 million viewers . its soundtrack was released three days earlier ; however , the music was considered less current than that of high school musical . gillian flynn of entertainment weekly wrote that lovato 's acting skills were underwhelming and she " has the knee - jerk smile of someone who is often told she has a great smile " . lovato sang four songs on the soundtrack , including " we rock " and " this is me " . that summer , she began her demi live ! warm up tour before the release of her debut album and appeared on the jonas brothers ' burnin ' up tour . lovato 's debut album , don 't forget , was released on september 23 , 2008 and was met with generally positive reviews from critics . michael slezak of entertainment weekly said , " demi lovato might satisfy her ' tween fans but she won 't be winning any rockers over with don 't forget " . the album debuted at number two on the billboard 200 , with first - week sales of 89 , 000 copies . ten of its songs were co - written with the jonas brothers . don 't forget was certified gold by the recording industry association of america ( riaa ) for us sales of over 500 , 000 copies . its lead single , " get back " , was praised for its pop rock style and peaked at number 43 on the us billboard hot 100 , selling over 560 , 000 copies in the united states . the album 's second single , " la la land " , was cited for its strong rock elements and peaked at number 52 in the us , and cracked the top 40 in ireland and the united kingdom . the music video was directed by brendan malloy and tim wheeler the album 's third single , " don 't forget " debuted on the billboard hot 100 at number sixty - eight on october 11 , 2008 and fell off the chart the following week . 2009 – 10 : sonny with a chance and here we go again in 2009 , lovato recorded " send it on " , a charity single and the theme song for disney 's friends for change , with friends selena gomez , miley cyrus and the jonas brothers . all proceeds from the song were donated to environmental charities supported by the disney worldwide conservation fund . lovato 's disney channel sitcom sonny with a chance , with her character sonny munroe the newest cast member of the show - within - a - show so random ! , premiered on february 8 . lovato 's acting ability was described by robert lloyd of the los angeles times as " very good " , and he compared her favorably to hannah montana star ( and friend ) miley cyrus . that june , she co - starred as princess with selena gomez in the disney channel film , princess protection program . the film , the third highest - rated disney channel original movie , premiered to 8 . 5 million viewers . lovato 's second album , here we go again , was released on july 21 , 2009 ; she described its acoustic style as similar to that of john mayer . the album received favorable reviews from critics who appreciated its enjoyable pop - rock elements , echoing reviews of don 't forget . lovato 's first number - one album , it debuted atop the billboard 200 with first - week sales of 108 , 000 copies . before its release , she began her summer tour 2009 . the album 's lead single , " here we go again " peaked at number 59 on the billboard hot 100 and managed to peak at number 15 , becoming lovato 's highest peaking solo single at the time , the song peaked at number 68 on the canadian hot 100 and 38 in new zealand . the album 's second and final single , " remember december " failed to match the success of its predecessor , but it peaked at number 80 on the uk singles chart . the entertainer made her first 40 - city national concert tour , live in concert , in support of here we go again . the tour , from june 21 to august 21 , 2009 , had david archuleta , and jordan pruitt as opening acts and lovato and archuleta received the choice music tour award at the 2009 teen choice awards . in march 2010 , lovato and joe jonas recorded " make a wave " as the second charity single for disney 's friends for change . in may lovato guest - starred as a teenage schizophrenic in the sixth - season grey 's anatomy episode , " shiny happy people " . although critics praised her versatility , they were underwhelmed by her acting and felt that her appearance was designed primarily to attract viewers . later that year , she headlined her first international tour , the south american tour , and joined the jonas brothers live in concert tour as a guest . camp rock 2 : the final jam , with lovato reprising her role as torres , premiered on september 3 , 2010 . critics were ambivalent about the film 's plot , and it has a 40 - percent approval rating on rotten tomatoes . however , lovato 's performance was called " dependably appealing " by jennifer armstrong of entertainment weekly . the film premiered to eight million viewers , the number - one cable - television movie of the year by the number of viewers . its accompanying soundtrack was released on august 10 with lovato singing nine songs , including " can 't back down " and " wouldn 't change a thing " . the soundtrack debuted at number three on the billboard 200 , with first - week sales of 41 , 000 copies . the jonas brothers ' 2012 world tour was reworked to incorporate lovato and the rest of the film 's cast ; it began on august 7 , two weeks later than planned . the sonny with a chance soundtrack was released on october 5 ; lovato sang on four tracks , including " me , myself and time " . it debuted ( and peaked ) at number 163 on the billboard 200 , her lowest - selling soundtrack . 2010 – 12 : unbroken and the x factor that month , lovato also announced her departure from sonny with a chance , putting her acting career on hiatus and ending the series ; she later said that she would return to acting when she felt confident doing so . her departure led to the spin - off series so random ! with the sonny cast , featuring sketches from the former show - within - a - show . the series was cancelled after one season . lovato released her third album , unbroken , on september 20 , 2011 . begun in july 2010 , the album experimented with r & b and featured less pop rock . the album and the stylistic change received mixed to positive reviews from critics , who saw a growth in musicianship because of her struggles and have praised lovato 's vocals but found the music more generic than her previous efforts . the record was a commercial success , peaking at number four on the billboard 200 , with sales exceeding 97 , 000 copies in its first week of release , and going on to sell over 500 , 000 copies in the united states , being certified gold . the album 's lead single , " skyscraper " , was acclaimed for its messages of self - worth and confidence , peaked at number 10 on the billboard hot 100 , selling 176 , 000 downloads during the first week of release , becoming lovato 's highest first week sales , until the release of " heart attack " by lovato in 2013 . the song also lovato 's highest - peaked single since " this is me " reached number nine in august 2008 . the song also debuted at number two on the hot digital songs chart . " skyscraper " received the best video with a message award at the september 2012 mtv video music awards . the album 's second and final single , " give your heart a break " , peaked billboard hot 100 at number 16 , making lovato 's fourth highest peaking song . also , it has peaked at number 12 on the us adult top 40 chart , number 1 on the us pop songs chart and became the longest climb by a female artist to no. 1 in the pop songs chart history . in april 2014 , the song was certified three - times platinum by the riaa ; as of october 2014 , it has sold 2 . 1 million digital copies . in may , she became a judge for the second season of the american version of the x factor , with a reported salary of one million dollars . joining britney spears , simon cowell and l.a. reid , it was speculated that she was chosen to attract a younger audience . mentoring the young adults category , her final act ( cece frey ) finished sixth . at the minnesota state fair in august , lovato announced that after a pre - show performance at the 2012 mtv video music awards she would release a single by december . on december 24 , she released a video on her youtube account of herself singing " angels among us " dedicated to the victims of the sandy hook elementary school shooting . in march , she was confirmed as returning for the the x factor 's third season , with her salary reportedly doubling . 2013 – 14 : demi and glee demi was released on may 10 , 2013 , the album features influences of synthpop and bubblegum pop and was met with positive reviews who have praised lovato 's vocals , although jon carmichael of the new york times found lovato 's transition fun , according to entertainment weekly it signified a less - mature image . the album debuted at number three on the billboard 200 with first - week sales of 110 , 000 copies , the best - selling debut week of lovato 's career . it was also successful internationally , charting in the top ten in new zealand , spain and the uk. and has been certified gold in the us . on june 11 , lovato released an e - book , demi , on ibooks . her lead single , " heart attack , " debuted at number 12 on the us billboard hot 100 , with first - week sales of 215 , 000 copies . " heart attack " had the third - highest opening - week sales of 2013 , behind justin timberlake 's " suit & tie " and ariana grande 's " the way " . the song peaked at number 10 ( lovato 's third showing in the us top ten ) , and was also successful in australia and spain . the second single , " made in the usa " peaked at number 80 on billboard hot 100 chart . the third single from demi , " neon lights " , peaked in the us billboard hot 100 at number 36 and in the us hot dance club songs at number one . the fourth single ; " really don 't care " featuring english recording artist cher lloyd , became lovato 's third number one hit on the us dance chart and debuted on the billboard hot 100 at number 98 before rising to peak position number 26 . lovato later released a deluxe version of her fourth studio album , which was to include 7 new tracks , consisting of 4 live performances and 3 studio recordings . one of these songs included a collaboration with olly murs on a song for his fourth studio album , entitled " up " . lovato contributed to the the mortal instruments : city of bones soundtrack album with " heart by heart " . lovato planned to appear in at least six episodes of the fifth season of glee . she played dani , a struggling new york - based artist who befriends rachel berry ( lea michele ) and santana lopez ( naya rivera ) and interacts with fellow newcomer adam lambert 's character . lovato debuted in the season 's second episode , which aired on october 3 . on november 19 , she released a book , staying strong : 365 days a year , which topped the new york times bestseller list . the entertainer has agreed to write a memoir , which is expected to be published in 2014 . she announced her upcoming neon lights tour ( including a canadian leg ) on 29 september 2013 , which began february 9 , 2014 and ended may 17 . on october 21 , she released " let it go " for the disney film frozen , which was released in theaters on november 27 , and the song was promoted as the single for the film 's soundtrack . the song peaked in the us billboard hot 100 chart at number 38 , spending twenty weeks on the chart . on december 18 , 2013 , lovato confirmed that she would not return to the the x factor for a fourth season . on may 18 , 2014 , " somebody to you " featuring lovato was released as the fourth single from the vamps ' debut album , meet the vamps . on may 29 , she announced her fourth concert tour ( and first world tour , covering 25 cities ) , the demi world tour , and its first north american dates . in november 2014 , lovato opened the uk shows on enrique iglesias 's sex and love tour . she also worked with her longtime friend nick jonas on a song for his self - titled album called " avalanche , " released november 2014 . lovato was featured on " up " , the second single from olly murs ' fourth studio album , never been better . lovato announced her skincare line called by demi to be available in december 2014 . she released a music video for her song " nightingale " on december 24 , 2014 as an early christmas present for her fans . 2015 – present : confident lovato 's fifth album , confident , was released on october 16 , 2015 , and received generally positive reviews from music critics . the album debuted at number two on the billboard 200 with first - week sales of 98 , 000 copies . during the album 's production , lovato commented : " i 've already started recording for my new album , and i have plans to record during the tour . the sound just evolves into everything that i 've been and everything that i want to become . " she further stated , " i 've never been so sure of myself as an artist when it comes down to confidence , but not only personal things , but exactly what i want my sound to be and what i know i 'm capable of and this album will give me the opportunity to show people what i can really do . " in may 2015 , billboard revealed lovato was in the process of starting an " artist - centric " new record label , records , of which she will be co - owner . the label will be a partnership between her , nick jonas , and lovato 's manager phil mcintyre , and will form part of a new collaborative arrangement with record label island . confident was released through the new venture deal . this will be lovato 's second multi - label venture of her career ; she was formerly part of jonas records , a umg / hollywood / jonas brothers partnership , which is now defunct . lovato released the lead single from confident titled " cool for the summer " on july 1 , 2015 . on september 18 , 2015 , the title track " confident " was released as the album 's second single . on october 17 , 2015 , she performed a " cool for the summer " and " confident " medley , and " stone cold " on saturday night live during the series ' forty - first season . lovato was also featured on the re - release of " irresistible " , the fourth single from fall out boy 's sixth studio album american beauty / american psycho . the same month , she signed with the major modeling agency , wilhelmina models . lovato released the music video for her r & b - influenced song " waitin for you " featuring american rapper sirah on october 22 , 2015 . on october 26 , 2015 , lovato and nick jonas announced that they would tour together on the future now tour . she was honored with the first - ever award on december 11 , 2015 at the 2015 billboard women in music event . on april 2 , 2016 , lovato received glaad vanguard award for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lgbt people at the 27th glaad media awards ceremony . in june 2016 , lovato was among the artists that signed an open letter to stop gun violence , created by billboard . that month , the human rights campaign also released a video in tribute to the victims of the 2016 orlando gay nightclub shooting ; in the video , lovato and others told the stories of the people killed there . on july 1 , 2016 , lovato released a new single titled " body say " . philanthropy in may 2009 , lovato was named an honorary ambassador of education by the american partnership for disorders . as part of her involvement with disney 's friends for change , lovato , selena gomez , miley cyrus and the jonas brothers recorded the initiative 's theme song ( " send it on " ) in 2009 . the song debuted on the billboard hot 100 at number 20 , and its proceeds were directed to environmental charities through the disney worldwide conservation fund . lovato and joe jonas recorded another song , " make a wave " , for the charity in march 2010 . she is also spokesperson for the join the surge campaign ! , and joining the surge by clean & clear ; the latter is a national campaign encouraging teenagers to take action in their communities . lovato was featured in a january 2010 public - service announcement for voto latino to promote the organization 's " be counted " campaign preparing for the 2010 united states census . in october 2010 she was the spokeswoman for the anti - bullying organization , . lovato participated in the " a day made better " school - advocacy campaign and has supported , kids wish network , love our children usa , st. jude children 's research hospital and city of hope . in april 2012 she became a contributing editor of seventeen magazine , describing her personal struggles to its female teenage audience . in october lovato was named the ambassador of mean , a campaign focused on eliminating bullying by girls . in may 2013 she was cited for her dedication as a mentor to teens and young adults with mental - health problems at a national children 's mental health awareness day hosted by the substance abuse and mental health services administration in washington . in late june 2013 lovato announced the creation of the lovato treatment scholarship program , named for her late father , to pay treatment costs for mentally - ill patients . in august 2013 , she traveled to kenya for her 21st birthday to participate in a program of the international charity organization free the children . in may 2014 , lovato was named the la pride parade grand marshal and the lead performer for nyc pride week for her contribution to the lgbt community . nyc pride spokesperson patti said , " demi lovato is an amazing role model for today 's youth , both lgbt and non - lgbt , for her activism in the area of equality , positive messaging on body image , and level of openness with her struggles . as a community , we 're fortunate to have an ally like demi . " lovato has also become the face of human rights campaign 's america 's for marriage equality . for the announcement of the campaign , lovato stated " whether you 're lgbt or straight , your love is valid , beautiful and an incredible love . so let 's protect love and strengthen the institution of marriage by allowing loving , caring and committed same - sex couples to legally marry . please join me and the majority of american citizens who support marriage equality . " artistry influences lovato has listed christina aguilera and kelly clarkson as her biggest influences . her other influences include aretha franklin , gladys knight , mariah carey , whitney houston , billie holiday , and billy gilman . about gilman she said , " we had the same voice range when i was young . i would practice to his songs all the time . " lovato listened to metal music in her teens , and has said that john mayer 's songwriting has been a " huge influence " on her . she has said that after the release of unbroken , her musical styles shifted towards hip hop and r & b. lovato says , " i had a lot of respect for whitney houston , and christina aguilera , on some songs where she was really amazing and wasn 't trying to be sexy or anything like that . " about her admiration for clarkson , lovato says , " i just thought she was a great role model . she was never publicly seen drinking and driving or wearing really scandalous clothes or anything like that . i feel like she set a really great example and she was extremely talented . " lovato 's neon lights tour was " inspired by beyoncé . " voice lovato is a mezzo - soprano . she has a vocal range of four octaves , 1 note and a semitone , including the whistle register . nick levine , of digital spy , commenting on her vocals for her album , don 't forget , stated , " she 's certainly a stronger singer than the . in fact , her full - bodied vocal performances are consistently impressive . " becky brain of idolator wrote that lovato has a " killer voice and the a - list material to put it to good use . " according to sophie schillaci of the the hollywood reporter , the entertainer " has a voice that can silence even the harshest of critics . something not often found in her peers . " for lovato 's second studio album , here we go again , jeff miers from the buffalo news wrote , " unlike so many of her disney - fied peers , lovato can really sing ... [ and it 's ] refreshing [ she doesn 't need auto - tune ] to mask any lack of natural ability . " upon working with lovato on her third studio album , unbroken , ryan tedder stated , " 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 . " he also commented on their work together on the song " neon lights " from lovato 's fourth studio album , saying , " she , in pop music , has one of the biggest ranges , possibly the highest full voice singer i 've ever worked with . " tamsyn wilce from alter the press commented on her vocals on demi , stating " it shows just how strong her vocal chords are and the variation of styles that she can completely work to make her own . " in a review for the ' neon lights tour , ' mike wass from idolator commented " you don 't need shiny distractions when you can belt out songs like demi and connect with the crowd on such an emotional level . " in a review for the ' demi world tour , ' marielle from los angeles magazine commented on lovato 's vocals , stating " for those who haven ’ t bothered to follow lovato ’ s career , let ’ s get something out of the way : the girl can sing . get over your fear of being judged by your facebook friends and spotify her discography , because you ’ re going to have the last laugh five years down the road ( probably sooner ) when she wins a grammy . at 22 years old , her vocal range is astounding . " she went on to further describe her vocals as " spectacular . " her vocal ability has been praised by rihanna , justin timberlake , lionel richie , katy perry , kelly clarkson , and patti labelle . personal life residence on her 18th birthday , lovato bought a mediterranean - style house in los angeles , california ; however , she decided to live in a " sober house " in los angeles after leaving rehab in january 2011 . relationships from early to may 2010 , lovato dated her camp rock co - star and musician joe jonas . they remain good friends . in 2010 , lovato began dating actor wilmer valderrama . they announced the end of their relationship on social media on june 3 , 2016 . lovato had no interest in forging a relationship with her late father , patrick , after his divorce from her mother . patrick died of cancer on june 22 , 2013 , at age 53 . after his death , lovato said that he had been mentally ill , and in his honor she created the lovato treatment scholarship program . personal struggles lovato had suffered from depression , an eating disorder , self - harm and being bullied before she went into rehab at the age of 18 in november 2010 . on october 30 , 2010 , lovato withdrew from the jonas brothers live in concert tour , entering a treatment facility for " physical and emotional issues " . it was reported that she decided to enter treatment after punching female dancer alex welch ; her management and family conducted a formal intervention after this incident to convince her she needed help . lovato said she took " 100 percent , full responsibility " for the incident . on january 28 , 2011 , lovato completed inpatient treatment at timberline knolls and returned home . she acknowledged that she had had bulimia , had harmed herself , and had been " self - medicating " with drugs and alcohol " like a lot of teens do to numb their pain " . she added that she " basically had a nervous breakdown " and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during her treatment . lovato later said that she had used cocaine several times a day and smuggled cocaine onto airplanes . in april 2011 , lovato became a contributing editor for seventeen magazine , writing an article that described her struggles . in march 2012 , mtv aired a documentary ( demi lovato : stay strong ) about lovato 's rehab and recovery . she began work on her fourth album the following month . in january 2013 , it was reported that lovato had been living in a sober - living facility in los angeles for more than a year because she felt it was the best way to avoid returning to her addictions and eating disorder . beliefs lovato is a christian and she prays with her band before they perform . she is an active supporter of gay rights . when the defense of marriage act was struck down in june 2013 , she tweeted : " gay , straight , lesbian , bi . ... no one is better than any one else . what an incredible day for california and for equality . " lovato later said : " i believe in gay marriage , i believe in equality . i think there 's a lot of hypocrisy with religion . but i just found that you can have your own relationship with god , and i still have a lot of faith . " in an early november 2013 interview with latina magazine , she said that she finds spirituality to be an important part of maintaining balance in life . she said : " i 'm the closest i 've ever been with god . i have my own relationship with god and that 's all that matters " . on december 23 , 2011 , lovato posted a message on twitter criticizing her former network for airing episodes of shake it up and so random ! in which characters joked about eating disorders . disney channel publicity officials quickly took action , apologizing to lovato and removing the episodes from the network 's broadcast and video on demand sources after additional criticism ( following lovato 's post ) on the network 's public - relations account . lovato identifies as a feminist . she spoke at the 2016 democratic national convention in philadelphia , july 25 . filmography discography don 't forget ( 2008 ) here we go again ( 2009 ) unbroken ( 2011 ) demi ( 2013 ) confident ( 2015 ) concert tours publications staying strong : 365 days a year , & friends ( november 19 , 2013 ) , isbn 978 - 1 - 250 - - 8 staying strong : a journal , & friends ( october 7 , 2014 ) , isbn 978 - 1 - 250 - - 6