Considering Demi Lovato kicked off the year by tackling both the GRAMMYS and the Super Bowl in the same seven days – it’s hard to believe she might be even busier now, in the midst of a pandemic.
In no particular order, recent weeks have seen the Disney alum lending her voice to their star-studded singalong special, launching her new Fabletics line, covering Harper’s Bazaar, and dropping a duet with Sam Smith.
But her fast-tracked re-return to the limelight has left a lot to be desired.
“I don’t love fame,” Lovato said last week.
The 27-year-old recently hopped on Jameela Jalil’s ‘I Weigh‘ podcast for a heavy, hour-long chat. A big target of the talk was mental health during the coronavirus era. The singer spoke on how she’s coping with isolation as a public figure – and how it’s kind of been a relief.
“I love being able to reach a lot of people with my music and help them,” she explained, “and I love being able to use my platform for the greater good. But when it comes to paparazzi or getting recognized – things like that – that’s just not a part that I really enjoy, so I stay home anyways. I’m a homebody.”
One doesn’t have to be a Lovatic to know of Demi’s multiple rehab stints. She told Jaleel these experiences have actually served as preparation, making her “much more used to self-isolation.”
“I’m also really used to it because I was joking with some friends that I met in treatment. I was like, ‘This just feels like rehab.’”
Lovato’s first comparison was being “on lockdown at a facility” during her inpatient days. A key difference, though, is what she has access too now.
The stigma surrounding ‘rehab’ is quite split, especially when certain names are synonymous with it. On the other extreme, a coastal facility might splash their beachy advertisements with white sand and appear like a celeb-stocked oasis. Lovato found herself somewhere in the middle.
“Most of the time,” the ‘Sober’ singer said, “it was like a house-looking place…except in rehab you don’t get TV or your phone, so this is luxurious.”
Lovato’s limited luxuries in rehab didn’t stop at technology – she’s also reminded of ‘the little things’ that were just not an option.
“You don’t get to go to the store whenever you want, or Postmate whatever you want,” she recalled, saying “it’s just interesting.
“I was like, ‘I’m glad that I’ve already pretty much done this a few times in my life.’”
However, as much as she likes being at home, she doesn’t “really do well working from home.”
“If I’m home, I want to relax. I want to spend time with whoever I’m with, and my dogs. I just do better in the studio. I do better on set.”