Demi Lovato by Dennis Leupold for Notion Magazine #77 October 2017

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who made her debut as a child actress in Barney & Friends. In 2008, Lovato rose to prominence in the Disney Channel television film Camp Rock and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records. She released her debut album, Don't Forget, that September; it debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 530,000 copies. In 2009, Lovato received her own television series, Sonny with a Chance. Her second album, Here We Go Again, was released that July and debuted at number one on the U.S Billboard 200, and it has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 650,000 copies. Its title track became her first single to break the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 15, and was certified platinum.

After the release of additional television films and their soundtracks in 2010, Lovato's personal issues put her career on hiatus and ended Sonny with a Chance after its second season. Her third album, Unbroken (2011), addresses several of her difficulties. Its lead single, "Skyscraper", became Lovato's first top ten single as well as first platinum single in the US; its second single, "Give Your Heart a Break", was certified triple platinum. Lovato was a judge and mentor on the American version of The X Factor in 2012 and 2013. Her fourth album, Demi (2013), had first-week sales of 110,000 copies (the best debut week of Lovato's recording career). Its lead single, "Heart Attack", became her second top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at #3 in the United Kingdom, becoming her highest charting single and first to break the top 10 in the UK.

Lovato has received a number of accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, thirty-four Teen Choice Awards nominations (thirteen of which she won), five People's Choice Awards, two ALMA Awards and a Billboard Touring Award. In 2013, Maxim ranked her 26th on its Hot 100 list and Billboard ranked her second on its Social 50 Artists of the Year list. Outside the entertainment industry, Lovato is involved with several social and environmental causes. In May 2013, she was cited for her dedication as a mentor to teens and young adults with mental-health challenges at a National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in Washington, D.C.. She has also become an advocate for the LGBT community. In 2014, she was announced as the Grand Marshal for LA PRIDE week, and that same year she became the face for Human Rights Campaign's Americans for Marriage Equality Campaign.