Demi Lovato

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. She made her debut as child actress in Barney & Friends. In 2008, she came to prominence as a starring cast member in the television film Camp Rock. She signed to Hollywood Records the same year, and released her debut studio album Don't Forget in September 2008. It has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2009, Lovato was commissioned her own television series Sonny with a Chance. That year, her second album Here We Go Again became her first to debut to top the U.S. Billboard 200. After the release of additional television films and their accompanying soundtracks in 2010, Lovato's personal struggles the following year sent her acting career into hiatus. Her third album Unbroken (2011) addresses several of her difficulties, notably her lead single "Skyscraper". Since 2012, Lovato has served as a judge and mentor on the American version of The X Factor. Her fourth album Demi (2013) was preceded by its lead single "Heart Attack". Throughout her music career, Lovato has embarked on several concert tours. In 2008, she served as the opening act for the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour and Avril Lavigne's Best Damn Tour. Later that year, she embarked her first headlining tour, the Demi Live! Warm Up Tour, and has held four additional promotional tours in the ensuing years. Her work has additionally earned several accolades, including one MTV Video Music Award and several Teen Choice Awards nominations. Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lovato is involved in philanthropic activities through charity work and various social and environmental causes. --- Lovato was born on August 20, 1992, in Albuquerque, New Mexico to parents Dianna De La Garza (née Hart), a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country singer, and Patrick Lovato, who died in June 2013. She has an older sister, Dallas, a younger half-sister, actress Madison De La Garza, and an older paternal half-sister whom she first spoke to when she was 20. She is of Mexican, Irish, and Italian descent. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Lovato, alongside eventual friend Selena Gomez, began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends portraying Angela at the age of 7. She started playing piano at the age of seven and guitar at the age of ten, at which time she also enrolled in dancing and acting classes. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Lovato revealed that she was bullied so severely that she requested a home-schooled education. Lovato earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. She later became a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on America's Next Top Model to speak out against bullying. Lovato had suffered from eating disorders and self-mutilation of her wrists to cope with her emotions and depression. In 2006, she appeared on Prison Break, and she was on Just Jordan the following year. In 2007 and 2008, Lovato played the role of Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel short series As the Bell Rings. On the same day in summer 2007, she auditioned for the channel's television film Camp Rock and the television series Sonny with a Chance, and got both parts. Lovato received the lead role in Camp Rock, playing aspiring singer Mitchie Torres. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008 to 8.9 million viewers. --- Lovato's debut album Don't Forget was released on September 23, 2008. Max Paradise from Sputnikmusic appreciated the enjoyable nature of the record, while Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly was more critical of its lyrical content and Lovato's vocals. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, with 89,000 copies in first-week sales. Ten of its songs were co-written with the Jonas Brothers. The album has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold over 500,000 units in the country. Its lead single "Get Back" was praised for displaying prominent pop rock styles, and reached a peak position of number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Lovato has cited John Mayer, with whom she worked on her second album Here We Go Again, as one of her "biggest musical influences". --- Lovato possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range and her vocals have been met with positive responses from music critics. Nick Levine of Digital Spy commented that her vocals on Don't Forget were "consistently impressive". Singer and producer Ryan Tedder who worked on Unbroken said that "Demi blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She's one of the best singers I've ever worked with. Literally, that good... I mean, she's a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes." Becky Brain of Idolator wrote Lovato has a "killer voice and the A-list material to put it to good use". The Hollywood Reporter writer Sophie Schillaci stated she "has a voice that can silence even the harshest of critics. Something not often found in her peers."