Demi Lovato said that her 2010 rehab stint helped break her clean Disney image.
In a joint Q&A with tourmate Nick Jonas in the Calgary Herald, Lovato said, “For me, the transition was a little bit easier because I didn’t have to do anything to break out of the Disney mould [sic]. It’s a lot easier when you just go to rehab.”
The former Disney star was treated for physical and emotional issues in 2010 when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Jonas, who, like Lovato, began his career when he was just seven years old, told the paper that it was challenging to transition from a child star to an adult entertainer. As female, Lovato’s journey was a little different.
“I kind of grew up really fast in the public eye in that way and so when it was time to release my music, I think people looked at me differently,” she said. “I wanted to prove to people that I wasn’t just a stereotypical Hollywood starlet that goes to rehab and falls back into the trap of the things that got her there.”
Lovato opened up about her emotional struggles at the Democratic Convention in July. “Like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness,” the 23-year-old pop star said. “But I am lucky. I had the resources and support to get treatment at a top facility.”
While currently touring with Jonas, Lovato told the Calgary Herald that her music is more important to her than ever, and she hopes it motivates others.
“I wanted to make sure that the music that I made was great and that I was passionate about the music that I put out and I sang my heart out and I also, like we said, I wanted to continue the message of using my platform for more things than just singing about heartbreak. That’s what music is for, is getting you through times, but also using it to inspire people,” she said.
Earlier this week, indie group Sleigh Bells accused Lovato of lifting from their 2010 song “Infinity Guitars” for “Stars” and filed a copyright lawsuit filed against the former Disney star. The suit cites a “combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as three quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps,” along with other alleged similarities.