Demi Lovato on how she got her confidence back
Demi Lovato is having one heck of a summer so far. The 22-year-old singer/actress not only finished her fifth album, but she already has a hit song from the upcoming set. "Cool for the Summer" became No. 1 on iTunes within hours of release in 35 countries and its hot video continues to rack up views on YouTube.
Her as-yet-untitled album, due out this fall, features a variety of sounds, Lovato says, from vocal-oriented tracks to songs with a more rhythmic feel. It's Lovato's first new studio release since 2013's "Demi."
Lovato's main focus has been on music lately, but she's also made time to make a guest appearance in the DirecTV series "From Dusk Till Dawn," which co-stars her boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama. She's also voicing the character of Smurfette in the upcoming film "Get Smurfy," due out in 2017.
And she's continuing her partnership with The Radiant Collection (from Tampax and Always), which finds her encouraging girls everywhere to have the confidence to be themselves and wear what they want -- at any time.
The star, who rose to fame after working on the Disney Channel TV film "Camp Rock," has been open about her body image, mental health and confidence issues in the past. These days, though, she's feeling great and wants to encourage others to feel positive about themselves, too.
"I worked really hard on this album and with taking care of myself; I've worked really hard on my body and my health," she said.
Read on for more from our interview with Lovato:
On her hit "Cool for the Summer": "I wrote 'Cool for the Summer' with [producer] Max Martin and his camp. They're incredible. They're awesome to work with and I've always wanted to work with Max and his team because I grew up listening to his songs on the radio. Everyone knows his songs ("So What" by Pink, "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry and "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift, among many others). Whether you know it's him or not. So to be able to work with him was really a defining moment in my career and was really a dream come true. It was awesome to make this first single off my album with him, and he did most of my album, too."
On gracing the new issue ofCosmopolitan magazine: "It feels great to able to do covers and things like that, showing more skin than I normally would. And I'm excited that I'm at a place now where I can show people that you can come from a place where you have body images issues and then overcome it like I have."
On her upcoming album: "I think it will really show where I'm at as a person. I've grown a lot. And I want my fans to grow with me. My album attests to where I am spiritually, mentally."
On upcoming guest appearance on "From Dusk Till Dawn": "It was really fun. I got to play ... a kind of snake, vampire from Mayan mythology ... I'm really excited to see how it turns out. With my scenes, I was able to work with Robert Rodriguez. I love the show, so being able to do that was really, really cool.
On her boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama: "We're together as much as we possibly can be. And we're supportive of one another, and I think that is what it's all about -- is just supporting each other in whatever way, shape or form you can."
On teaming with The Radiant Collection: "I think it's important for people to talk about the woman's body and not be ashamed of it and natural occurrences that happen. I think it's important, too, for women to feel empowered. I want to help in any way I can -- help girls feel confident. And one of the ways I feel confident is with The Radiant Collection to wear what I want, when I want."
On how she stays positive and confident: "It's really important to just really take care of yourself. And by taking care of yourself, you're doing things to help your confidence, your health -- and ultimately when I take care of myself I just feel better overall. Whether it's my diet, exercise or just trying to keep a positive mind. Things like that can make a huge difference."