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We could listen to Demi Lovato sing all day (That voice! Its power!). While some of her most soaring hits, like "Anyone" and "Tell Me You Love Me," are among her saddest, she's also released energetic songs ("Heart Attack") that provide an instant mood-boost. Now 27 years old, Lovato has been in the public eye since 2008, when she appeared in the movie Camp Rock alongside the Jonas Brothers. As a teenager, she became a Disney Channel star with her own show: Sonny With a Chance. And it's her voice plus those all-encompassing, powerful performances that skyrocketed her to fame.
Since, Lovato has been vocal about her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, exacerbated by depression, eating disorders, and self-harm. In 2018, she released the song "Sober," which told fans that she had broken a six-year sobriety. On July 24, 2018, she was hospitalized after an apparent drug overdose at age 25. Thankfully, she recovered and currently is thriving. "I think it's been a very introspective year for me. I've learned a lot, been through a lot," Lovato said at the 2019 Teen Vogue Summit.
Lovato's openness extends to her relationships, too. She and Wilmer Valderrama dated for six years, but split in 2016. And in 2018, the longtime LGBTQ+ advocate came out as queer. “I’m very fluid,” she told Instyle. “I think love is love. You can find it in any gender. I like the freedom of being able to flirt with whoever I want.”
In January 2020, Lovato blew us away with her performance of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl LIV followed by a heart-breaking rendition of "Anyone" at the Grammys. From Disney darling to queen of the pop charts, Lovato is now an emblem of bravery and vulnerability, which comes through in her best songs.
"Heart Attack"
The radio is saturated with gooey or sentimental love songs, but "Heart Attack" is quite the opposite: A complicated power ballad about a person terrified of falling in love.
Lyrics We Love: "Pain's more trouble than love is worth / I gasp for air / It feels so good, but you know it hurts"
"Sorry Not Sorry"
With this song, Lovato reminds us of a crucial lesson: Never apologize for being you. Luckily, she set this lesson to a ridiculously catchy melody that we'll never forget.
Lyrics We Love: "Now payback is bad b**** / And baby I’m the baddest.”
"Give Your Heart a Break"
The title might suggest that "Give Your Heart a Break" is about heartbreak–but it's the opposite. "It's a song about showing someone you love that you're the one right in front of them. This is a song about faith," Lovato told MTV.
Lyrics We Love: "Don't wanna break your heart / Wanna give your heart a break"
"Confident"
Add "Confident" to your morning playlist. Why? This song is an instant shortcut to feeling like you can take on the world—or whatever's in your way.
Lyrics We Love: "What’s wrong with being confident? / So you say I’m complicated / That I must be outta my mind / But you’ve had me underrated."
"Cool For the Summer"
The summer is an enchanted time of year, no matter your age. But Lovato's "Cool For the Summer" transports you back to the wildest time in your life for three-and-a-half minutes. "Got your mind on my body and your body on my mind," Lovato says in this ode to late nights and short loves.
Lyrics We Love: "Tell me if I won / If I did / What's my prize?"
"Don't Forget"
Here's a random fact: "Athazagoraphobia" means the "fear of being forgotten." That's the mood of this song from 2008, the start of Lovato's career. The relationship's over, but has she faded from his mind? And does she want to know if she has?
Lyrics We Love: "Our love is like a song / You can't forget it"
"Stone Cold"
Lovato sure can plumb the depths of an emotion, can't she? "Stone Cold" is like an elevated version of her 2008 song "Don't Forget." She's been left behind, and is trying her hardest to be gracious about it—trying being the key word here.
Lyrics We Love: "Maybe if I don't cry, I won't feel anymore"
"Neon Lights"
Real talk: This EDM-influenced song is energetic enough to turn a trip to the DMV into a rave. Try it and let us know how it goes.
Lyrics We Love: "You're all I see in all these faces / So let's pretend / we're running out of time, of time"
"Sober"
Lovato has openly struggled with addiction. In this moving song, she opens up about the wrenching emotional experience of addiction and her fear of disappointing loved ones and fans.
Lyrics We Love: "I wanna be a role model / But I'm only human"
"Anyone"
Lovato has never shied away from exploring hard emotions–but "Anyone" is Lovato at her most vulnerable. While performing at the 2020 Grammys, Lovato cried (but still managed to sound amazing). And the moment was even more poignant considering the song is about Lovato's life feeling lonely in front of crowds.
Lyrics We Love: "I talk to shooting stars / But they always get it wrong / I feel stupid when I pray / So, why am I praying anyway? / If nobody's listening"
"Tell Me You Love Me"
"Tell Me You Love Me" is a reminder that you are enough. In it, a woman realizes at the end that the only person she'll always have by her side is her.
Lyrics We Love: "Everything I need is standing in front of me."
"No Promises"
Lovato collaborated with Cheat Codes on this catchy song about two people figuring out their relationship—without labels. Lovato's songs tend to explore contradictory impulses. In "Heart Attack," Lovato wants to be in a relationship, but is scared. "No Promises is about two commitment-phobes still expecting commitment: "Promise me no promises" is the song's ironic chorus.
Lyrics We Love: "It's so easy to fall for each other / I'm just hoping we catch one another"
Elena Nicolaou is the former culture editor at Oprah Daily.
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