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Demi Lovato is in their happy era. The star, who recently made her directorial debut with her documentary Child Star, spoke to Editor in Chief Versha Sharma at the 2024 Teen Vogue Summit. Lovato said this season of her life is about following their passion, working on projects that feed her joy — and serve a purpose.
“I would describe the era of my career today as the whatever makes me happy era,” Lovato said. “I’m making music that makes me happy I’m cooking in the kitchen, posting those videos on TikTok. I directed the documentary I just did. I've spent so many years doing what other people expected of me, but not doing it for myself.”
“I just chased joy," she added.
Lovato, who appeared on Teen Vogue's September cover, said that Child Star was a passion project, but it helped both their and the subjects she interviewed heal.
“The whole journey was really healing to me, just honoring the journey of the inner child and holding space for my younger self who didn’t get to live a normal childhood,” she said. “Getting to talk to participants of the film and finding that common ground created a sense of community.”
That kind of community and healing is what Lovato strives for in everything she does. Each of her projects, she said, is a way to use her voice for good — which is also personally fulfilling.
“I always want to reflect what I’m passionate about through [my work],” Lovato said. “My music has been something that has served a huge purpose to me and I would take having an impact on someone’s life over any award any day.”
To that end, Lovato has long been candid about her mental health, consistently championing honesty to reduce stigma around the subject. The star shared her bipolar disorder diagnosis, has opened up about substance use disorder, and has shared about their eating disorder. Doing that, she hopes, will create room for even more honest conversations about the topic to reduce stigma and isolation.
“I feel like mental health is becoming more and more normalized, but there’s still so much work to do,” she said. “If we continue to have these conversations…it’s really going to create a safe space for others to come forward to share their experiences as well.”
So, what's next for Lovato? She shared that she's working on a few projects she can't yet name, but confirmed that there will be new music coming up.
“You can expect new music," she said. "And, like the film I just directed, just new forms of creative expression from me.”
Related: Demi Lovato Paid the Price of Early Fame. Was It Worth It?
