Demi Lovato Is Embarking On A Fresh Start – It Starts With Their Hair

Demi Lovato unveiled an all-new look in time for Christmas this past weekend. 

Giving fans a first look on Instagram, the Grammy-nominated singer posted a video of their buzzed hair, captioning the photo #freshstart.

It appears as though Lovato is one step closer to embracing themselves ahead of the new year.

The New Demi Lovato

2021 has been a big year for the singer. 

In May, they announced on the 4D with Demi Lovato podcast that they were coming out as non-binary and would begin using they/them pronouns. 

The 29-year-old said:

“I feel that this best represents the fluidity I feel in my gender expression and allows me to feel most authentic and true to the person I both know I am, and am still discovering.”

The decision to explore their own identity came at the heels of a terrifying drug overdose in 2018, which was discussed in the Youtube documentary series about the singer.

Of the incident, Lovato believed it was a wake-up call that needed to happen, adding:

“I feel like the reason why that happened was because I was ignoring my truth, and I was suppressing who I really am in order to please stylists or team members or this or that, or even fans that wanted me to be the sexy, feminine pop star in the … leotard and look a certain way, you know?”

Fans were overjoyed to see that Lovato had been ready to share the best version of themselves with the world, and support poured in all across social media.

The Disney Channel Days

Lovato first made a name for themselves in the Disney Channel film series Camp Rock, playing an introverted singer who was too scared to display her talent.

After the success of the film series, Lovato took on the leading role in Sonny With A Chance, a Disney-fied spoof of the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live.

As Sonny, Lovato was able to portray a range of characteristics that made them one of the biggest stars of the network.

They also starred with former best friend Selena Gomez in Princess Protection Program, where Lovato played the elegant hidden princess to Gomez’s rough and tough high schooler. The film was Disney Channel’s fourth-highest-rated original movie, gathering 8.5 million viewers for its premiere. 

Lovato’s Music Career and Television Roles

In 2012, Lovato joined The X Factor as a judge for the reality singing competition’s second season. 

They joined the cast of Glee in 2013, playing a recurring role as a high schooler. Lovato appeared on other competition shows, including RuPaul’s Drag Race, Project Runway, and The Voice of Germany.

The musician made a return to acting in a guest stint on the revival of believed 90s sitcom Will & Grace.

Their music career took off after leaving their Disney contract, releasing their debut album, Don’t Forget, in 2008.

To promote the album, Lovato went on tour with Camp Rock castmates, the Jonas Brothers, performing her music in their ‘Burnin’ Up Tour.’ 

Lovato’s second album, Here We Go Again, proved to be another success. The title song got to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the singer’s first single to reach the top 20. 

The singer has had astounding success with their singles, beginning with ‘Heart Attack’ in 2013. The song debuted at number 12, and sold 215,000 copies upon release. 

The second single, ‘Made in the USA’, peaked at 80; ‘Neon Lights’ and ‘Really Don’t Care’ both made it to the top 40 in the United States. 

Since then, the singer has released three more albums and been nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (shared with Christina Aguilera) at the Grammy Awards.

Lovato’s Health Issues

Lovato is an advocate for mental health, often opening up about their own experiences.

The performer has revealed they struggled from bulimia and self-harm in the past, going into rehab at the age of 18.

In November 2010, Lovato decided not to appear in the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert tour to enter a treatment facility after punching a backup dancer, for which Lovato took full responsibility.

Lovato even admitted to smuggling cocaine on planes and cited a prolonged nervous breakdown for their behavior. 

In their 2017 Youtube series, Lovato admitted that the time spent in the treatment facility had not been successful and that they continued to struggle with substance abuse. 

Lovato tearfully said that they had been under the influence while undergoing treatment, adding:

“I wasn’t working my program. I wasn’t ready to get sober. I was sneaking it on planes, sneaking it in bathrooms, sneaking it throughout the night. Nobody knew.”

On June 21, 2018, the singer released ‘Sober’, a song about their relapse. Three days later, news outlets reported they had been rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to an opioid overdose.

In the documentary, Lovato revealed that “the doctors told [them] that [they] had five to 10 minutes, like, if no one had found [them], then [they] wouldn’t be here.”

It was reported that Lovato had multiple health complications following the near-fatal overdose, those being multiple strokes, brain damage, and a heart attack.

The brain damage has caused lasting problems with the singer’s vision. 

After the overdose, they were hospitalized for two weeks and were told to enter an in-patient rehab program immediately after recovering.  

Lovato has been vocal about family, friends, and management support.

After nearly losing their representation, Lovato agreed to resume treatment and begin counseling for addiction.

In May 2021, they told fans they were stopping hard drugs like heroin but were not ready to give up alcohol or marijuana, opting to consume both in moderation.

Earlier in December, Lovato happily told fans they were no longer ‘California sober’, saying they were on the path to complete sobriety after over a decade.

Lovato has advocated for mental health and LGBTQ+ rights, coming out as pansexual when discussing their own identity.

In September 2021, they performed at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles to raise awareness about multiple global crises as part of the Global Citizen Live organization.