DEMI LOVATO INTERVIEW WITH COMPLEX MAGAZINE

Waiting for Demi Lovato to show up feels like waiting for your high school
prom date in her parents living room. Only instead of a living room, its the
tree-shrouded courtyard of an office in Los Angeles, and instead of her parents,
its her management team all staring at you and firing off questions. Where are
you from? they ask. How long have you lived in New York? What do you
do? What are your intentions with our Demi? That last question might have
been next, had the 23-year-old pop singer with a big voice not arrived just in
time and extended a hand in greeting. As Lovato leads the way inside, away
from everyone else, there are no more questions from her team, just a final
comment from one of them, delivered with an unconvincing laugh: Dont fuck
with us.

Even if the intention were to fuck with Demi Lovato, she wouldnt let you.
First, she may be young, but she is media trained and perfectly capable of
dodging uncomfortable questions. She is, after all, readying her fifth studio
album in seven years, titled Confident, this one led by producers Stargate, Dr.
Luke, and the ever-elusive hitmaker Max Martin. Second, there is a steely side
to her, a narrowing of the eyes that happens when the uncomfortable questions
arise. Its a look that says: Dont fuck with us.

The facial expression is a far cry from the smile worn by the 10-year-old who
played Angela on Barney & Friends for two seasons in the early 2000s. The
show was shot in Texas, where Lovatos family moved to from Albuquerque,
N.M., when she was about a year old. It was on Barney that she met and
befriended fellow aspiring child actor Selena Gomez. The two eventually made
it to the Disney Channel before aging out of that circuit and venturing into
separate acting and music careers. They remained close for a while but have
since fallen out of each others circles, either a natural product of childhood
friends drifting, as Lovato explains it, or, as rumor would have it, a distancing
hastened by the recurring role Justin Bieber played in her old friends life.

In place of most of the Disney friends she made as a teenager, Lovato has built
up a tight-knit network of mostly noncelebrities (which includes her loyal
management team), with two notable exceptions. The first is her boyfriend of
five years, Wilmer Valderrama, best known for playing the lovable foreign
exchange student Fez on That 70s Show. They now live together out in Tarzana
in the Valley, which is far enough away from everything that Lovato says it
doesnt feel like shes even in L.A. The second is Iggy Azalea, who Lovato
claims is one of the realest people she knows. When she says this, she lets the
comment hang in the air, waiting for someone to challenge her because she
knows what people think of her friend, the Australian MC who raps with a
Southern accent. But Lovato has on her dont fuck with us face, and because
of that, not only is there no challengesuddenly you find yourself ready to
agree with whatever she says.

You dont have a lot of celebrity friend photos on your Instagram.

I dont really hang out with celebrities. I guess I do sometimes. I like Hailee
Steinfeld. And Nick [Jonas]. But I dont count Nick and Joe [Jonas] as
celebrities. Ive grown up with them. Im not the type of person thats on
Instagram posting pictures of me and tons of my best friends. I have my core
group, and theyre the type of people that will be there for me in the middle of
the night. Theyre the type of people that are like, Youre being a bitch right
now. Dont talk to me that way, and Im like, Whoa. Sorry. I didnt realize it.
I dont have anybody around me who kisses my ass.

You and Selena Gomez used to be close, but youve had some ups and
downs over the years. Are you talking anymore?
Nope.

Does it have anything to do with a particular relationship choice of hers?

Not really. Not anymore.

Did you sign the petition to get Justin Bieber deported?

No, I didnt. Hes actually a nice guy. I dont really know him that well, but he
seems to have grown up. He looks like hes maturing. But, you know, when
youre young and you get older, you change and people change. You have
things in common, and then all of a sudden, you dont. Its just a part of life.

Youre pretty tight now with Iggy Azalea. Youre even a bridesmaid in her
wedding. How did you guys meet?
We met at Jennifer Lopezs Halloween party. I was dressed as Lucille Ball and
Wilmer was Desi Arnaz. Im kind of a little socially awkward when it comes to
parties and going out because I feel like, unless youre going to get fucked up,
everybodys awkward. Since I dont do that anymore, and Iggy wasnt
drinkingshe doesnt do anythingI was kind of like, Hey. Im a big fan. I
love your music. We start talking, and it turns out that were neighbors and we
didnt even know.
Then I saw her at all the Jingle Ball shows. Then we got to actually hang, and
we just became close. Shes so awesome. Shes very, very, very real. What you
see is what you get. I think sometimes that pushes people away, but thats what
I admire about her. Shes the furthest thing from fake. In this entertainment
business, thats so hard to find with anybody. Thats why I dont have any very
famous friends. The very few that I do have are real.

Like Jennifer Lopez?

Shes really, really chill. We went to Park City for New Years. Wed hung out
several times, but being there with her in Park Cityit was so nice and
awesome to watch her just blend in. But, also, not blend in because shes still
decked out in fur. But to wake up and shes in her sweats with no makeup and
still looks flawless, youre kind of like, What the fuck? Youre not even
human. But shes so real and so chill. I love her to death. Shes a really great
human being. And Iggy, too. Shes awesome.

Why do you think you and Iggy get along so well?

The reason why we relate a lot to each other and the people around memy
close friends who arent necessarily famous or even in the industryis that
weve all been through a lot and weve come out strong. Iggy has really gone
through shit and shes come out super strong and didnt let that take her down a
devastating path. Theres respect there. The fact that shes gone through so
much and Ive gone through so much and on a Friday night we can make
gingerbread houses together instead of going out and drinking our sorrows
awaythats fucking cool. I love that. Its nice to have somebody whos
younger in the entertainment business who doesnt do all of that stuff.

Thats rare.
Its very rare, so we stick together.

Youve got a good support system.

I do. My closest friends who arent necessarily famous are so awesome. Im
very, very, very blessed and very lucky to have the friends that I do. I believe
that friends are chosen family. Theyre not friends to me, theyre family.

You and Wilmer have been together for five years, so he must be pretty
much like family now.
Oh, yeah. Hes very, very family. We have been together for almost five years
now, off and on. The only times that we were off was when I was not in a
healthy state of mind, or he was like: I cant be with you until you get sober. I
cant enable what youre doing right now. Or with food: You need to get your
food settled before you can get into a relationship. You need to learn how to
love yourself first. So I did, and then that made our relationship so much
stronger.

You really have been through a lot of shit.

Yeah, a lot of which I havent even talked about. The stuff that I have shared, I
feel like sometimes it is so heavy, and Im like, Yall think thats heavy? I
havent even shared the heavy part. But I dont feel like Ill ever have to until I
write a book or something. If you were to sit my friends and me in a group
together and we all shared our life stories, you wouldnt understand how were
still alive because of either our addictions or the stuff that weve survived. I
never want to be like, Oh, Ive been through so much, like its a sob story. Im
proud of what Ive been through and gotten over and sometimes, even to this
day, when I do go through something Im like, OK. Its just a part of my
story. Itll be more to tell, and thats fine.
Youve got a long way to go.
Im just 23. I never want people to feel sorry for me, and I also think that theres
always someone who has it worse. Not to invalidate what Ive been through or
what Im feeling, but theres somebody who has it worse, and Ive always got to
remember that.

How did Wilmer come into your life?

We shot a PSA together for the 2010 Census forms for Voto Latino. We shot
them at his house, so we actually met there. Of course, I was like, Oh my god.
Youre so attractive. And he was like, You are not 18. Get away from me.
Then we became really good friends, and he was there for me through a number
of situations and breakups and whatever. Then as I got older and we grew
closer, it was like, Hey, maybe we should try this thing out. We did, and
weve basically been together ever since.

You mentioned recently that if he proposed to you tomorrow, you would

say yes. Did he see that story? What was his reaction?
He was like, Umm, babe? And I was like, What? And he showed me an
Instagram where people had screenshotted stuff and they tagged him in it. I was
like, Uh. He was like, Do you want to warn me with this stuff? I was like,
It just came out! Im really sorry. He was like, Dont apologize.

His parents were probably texting him.

His parents are hilarious. His dads always like, Make babies. Like, Oh god.
Not yet. Not any time soon.

So theyre already like in-laws.

Yeah, definitely.
Have you thought about what your ideal wedding would be?
I love shabby chic.

Would you do it in a barn or something?

I dont know if it would be in a barn, but I think Id definitely want an outdoor
wedding, with lights hanging in the trees.

You guys are in the spotlight a lot. Is there a celebrity couple whom you
look at and say, Theyre doing it right. Lets try to make it like them?
Well, I think with Ashton and Milatheyre a really great example in how
private they keep their lives. Were obviously more public when it comes to
social media and talking about each other in interviews, but theyre a really
good example of how to keep it balanced. They do it really, really well. But we
kind of just do our own thing. With some people, it works to take pictures
together and walk red carpets together, and for others it doesnt work.

Lovato is digging in her bag for her phone because she wants to show me a
picture, a still from the Cool for the Summer video that was teased on her
Instagram prior to the videos release. In the photo, she is lying on a bed, her
face obscured but her body visible and wrapped sparingly in some bright blue
fabric. One of her legs is extended up, and right at the top of her thigh is a small
crease that caused her a lot of concern when her day-to-day manager suggested
posting the photo on social media. See where it folds right there? she says.
There is indeed a fold, one that anyone would get with a bent legunless, of
course, you cannot stretch that way, or are made of plastic, not skin, and are in
fact a doll named Barbie.
Lovato has openly dealt with anorexia and bulimia, and though she has received
treatment over the years, there is no cure-all for these disorders. She says she is
now the happiest and healthiest she has ever been, and she looks it. Maintaining
that state takes hard work though, especially when you are a female pop singer
constantly in the public eye. The body-image scrutiny Lovato has felt explains
why her immediate response to the photo was that her leg looked fat. Then she
thought for a moment, realized that thats what human legs look like, got the
cosign from Valderrama that she did, indeed, look hot, and gave the photo the
green light. Lately, Ive been coming to terms with my imperfections and not
obsessing so much about trying to make myself perfect, she says. Its a
growing process.

Youve taken on a sexier role in the promotion of this album. How have you
felt about it?
Its liberating. Its not like I have something to hide. I went to this pool party,
and somebody got a picture of me in bad lighting. It was just cellulite city. I saw
it, and I cringed at first. Then I read the caption underneath, and it was like,
Im so proud of this girl. Shes real. Even though she may have cellulite, shes
not letting it stop her from rocking this bathing suit. She looks awesome. Shes
worked hard. I saw that, and I replied to it. I was like, At first I cringed when I
saw this, but this makes me so happy to see.

Youve really been celebrating your curves on Instagram. Do you have a

curve inspiration figure?
Ive always said the Kardashians. When they came into the spotlight, they kind
of revolutionized what beauty was when it came to body shapes. For so long, it
was the heroin-chic 90s supermodel thing, and I feel like, when the
Kardashians came into the picture, people started to look at it because it was
different. They were like, You know what? Thats actually really beautiful.
From then, I noticed that Beyonc was thicker, and Nicki Minaj is thicker.
When I say thicklike when I call my thighs thickI love it. I think its a good
thing. Watching them really helped me learn to accept my body image, too. Im
not naturally super thin. I have an athletic body. I just have to embrace that.
There are days when its hard to, but more and more, there are days where Im
actually proud of my body.

You definitely look good in the Cool for the Summer video. What is that
song about?
What do you think its about?

I think its about a fun, sexual experience with a lady.

A lady friend?
Uh-huh.

Music is funny because music is like art, and art is an interpretation. So, the
song can be interpreted by anyone to mean anything. Ill leave it at that.

When it came out, there were some Katy Perry fans who claimed you
copied her song I Kissed a Girl.
Yeah. The song literally sounds nothing like I Kissed a Girl. Well, I used the
word cherry. How dare I use that word. Its definitely not a rip-off of
anything.

Is the song about [Orange Is the New Black actor] Ruby Rose?
No, its not.
Have you met her?
Yes, Ive met her.

Did you guys have a relationship?

I did not have a relationship with Ruby Rose.

Did you hook up?

I dont feel like any of my past or futurewhen it comes to relationships that
may have happened or not have happenedare of any concern to anybody.
What matters to me is my relationship with Wilmer. We are in an amazing
place. Rumors are rumors, and people are going to spread them. You can
believe what you want, but no, I was not in a relationship with her.

By the way, love is fluid. Whether theres been rumors with one specific person
or not, thats all that matters. Humans are humans, and when you connect with
somebody on a spiritual level it doesnt matter. I dont want people to ever look
at the past or rumors or anything and try to figure me out. Theres a lot of
relationships that Ive had where nobody has even guessed it. Not everybody
knows everything about me. The only thing that matters to me is that people
know who I am today. With Wilmer, Im the happiest that Ive ever been, so
thats all that matters to me.

Is the album speaking to any specific point in your life?

I mean, theres a song that I wrote from an experience that was 10 years ago.
Theres a song that I wrote thats from an experience of three years ago. Then
there are songs that Im writing right now because Im just now getting the balls
to say some of the stuff that I want to. As life goes on and you learn more, you
are able to come to terms with certain things, like my dad passing. Im still
processing it. At some point, I was like, I just need to write about it and get it
out because Ive been putting it off for the whole process of the album. Ive
finally gotten somewhere with that.

What would you say is the ballsiest song on the album?

Cool for the Summer was pretty ballsy. I think Waiting for Ya is a pretty
ballsy song. Im excited for people to hear it, too because thats the song where
I show you that a lot of people have their cute little feuds in public, but I dont
really have those because if you want to have a feud, you can just come to me in
person and well settle it.

You dont seem like youre afraid of confrontation.

No. When I heard Bitch Better Have My Money, I was like, Fuck yeah!
Thats why I love Rihanna so much. And Nicki Minaj, too. And Iggy. She
wouldnt be afraid to say anything. Its those strong, confident women in the
industry that really inspire me. Also, somebody who was a random inspiration
for some of the songs on this album was Ronda Rousey. Shes a confident,
strong woman, and shes actually a friend of mine.

How did you guys meet?

She knew I was a superfan. My dream video would be to fight her in the
Octagon on this song.

Whats your personal favorite on the album?

Stone Cold. Its this extremely soulful, almost Motown type of song, and its
a ballad.

Your voice sounds incredible on that one.

I want the Grammy committee to hear [that song] so that one day they can see
thatI know that Im capable of getting there. I just want people to see it
finally. When I say getting there, I dont mean winning one. I just want to be
nominated for one. You cant go higher than the Grammys in the music
industry. That was a huge goal for this album. I watched the Grammy
nominations last year and I was like, I want to be there so bad. It really gave
me that kick in the ass to make music that was worthy of it. This is a song that I
feel like is worthy of notification.

If you did get a nomination, what does that symbolize for you?
Everything in my entire singing careerall of the guitar lessons, all of the voice
lessons, all of the songs that I wrote when I was 8 years old, when I was 15,
writing six songs a night, all of the touringwould be worth it. Thats what it
means to me. Its literally everything. Its like the Olympics for an athlete.

The Grammys are historically known for fucking shit up though, so

As long as the people in that place know my name, thats all that I care about.
When they know your name there, youve made it.