Demi Lovato

Today's guest is a phenom. She's a singer, she's a dancer, she's an actress, she was a pageant girl in Texas and a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, Ares. Her name is Demi Lovato and we have such an amazing conversation about her upbringing in Colleville, Texas. She tells me all about her big dreams of being a singer and the hours that she spent hitting the high notes in her bedroom. What it was like to go from Barney to sunny with a chance to camp rock and how her life now is nothing but joy. I love this conversation and I know you guys are gonna love it too. So let's pull up. (upbeat music) - Welcome. - Thank you. - It's so exciting to have you here. - Thank you, I'm so excited to be here. - Oh my gosh, okay, so I wanna jump right in. - Okay. - And ask you, what is the name of the street that you grew up on? - Wilkes Drive. - Wilkes Drive again, what town? - In Colleville, Texas. - Colleville. - Yes. - Oh my gosh. So why did you pick that house? Did you live there, like what, how old were you when you lived in the house? It was a house, yes. - Yeah, it was a house. - I moved into Colleville, the house on Wilkes Drive when I was about three years old. My mom met my stepfather and we moved into his house. That was his, you know, bachelor pad and then he turned it into a family home when they met and moved me and my sister, Dallas-N. And then about, you know, six years later, they had my little sister, Madison. So that's the house that we grew up in until I was about 15. And do you remember moving into the house? - I don't, I remember, I kind of have a vivid memory of like being young and walking around the house for the first time. - I'm discovering it. - Yes, I had only lived in apartments before then. And when I got to that house, I remember walking around and thinking this is a mansion. And it was, it wasn't a mansion, but to me, you know, it was, you know, it was really, really big. And of course, I was so little, so everything, so much more grand. - I know, I have that experience sometimes when I go back to the Bronx. I still expect myself to be at the level of the lock on the door because that's my memory of coming, but I'm like, oh, it's all the way down there. - Yeah, I mean, I'm not too far off from-- (both laughing) - So what did the house look like? - So the house was brick. - There were a lot of brick houses in Collival, Texas. - Did it look like the other houses or did all the houses look similar? - Yeah, they looked similar. And there was a big tree in the front, so it had a curved driveway and that went to the garage and in front of that curved driveway was a piece, it was an area of grass and it had a big tree. And that's the tree that I buried my fish under. (both laughing) And I don't think I ever climbed in it because it wasn't big enough for that. - Were you a fish your first pets? - My very first pet was a goldfish named Petey. - So cute. - Yes, so my super name is Petey Wilkes. - That's actually really good. - I sound like a banker. But like, you know, you know what to do with that money that comes in your way. - Yeah, that's good. - That's exactly, amazing. Okay, so what happened when you walked into the house? - So you walked straight into the house and there's a little entryway. And then after the entryway, there is a staircase. And it went up, there was a little middle area I went down this way and then it also went up to the second floor. And it was beautiful and I was so fortunate to be able to grow up in that house and to have my step-dad open up his home to us and provide us with such an amazing, you know, home. And the formal living room was on the other side of the staircase and then there was a dining room. And that was really like an elegant home. - Well, it sounds more elegant probably than it was, but it was so beautiful, yes, also as a kid. - Oh yeah, I was like, we moved into a mansion and I was just blown away when I first got there. Was there a particular happy place that you had in the house or room that you gravitated toward? - My room. - Do you remember what your room looked like? - My room changed a lot. I, one thing that remained the same, I had a four-post bed. - Like a princess bed. It was white, no it wasn't, it was brownwood. And my room changed a lot for a long period of time. I had a high heel chair, one of those. It was like leopard. - Oh my. - And I don't remember where we got it from, but I think it was also another goodwill find. - Oh, that's a good one. - Yeah, and or something like that. And, you know, I changed the bedding a lot. I would get tired of, you know, I think it was like purple leopard at one point and then it was orange. And so I changed it a lot. - You were like creative directing your room. - Yeah, exactly. At one point I had like stuffed animals in these canopies and the corners of my room. I was a big stuffed animal lover. I thought that they all had souls. And I could not go to bed without saying goodnight to each and every one of them. - Oh my gosh, that's so sweet. - And so when I was older, I was like, I can't sleep with 30 stuffed animals on my bed anymore. So I moved them to these canopies in the corners of my room. But I had this dresser and the dresser had a really big mirror. And that was on the opposite wall. And then I had a connecting bathroom with my sister Dallas. And my room is where I learned to play guitar. And I-- - With a teacher or like a loan? - Well, can you teach yourself? - I had a guitar teacher, but I only took lessons for maybe a few months. I would spend so much time on the internet on guitar tabs, guitartab.com, and I would read the guitar tabs and I would just learn my favorite songs. And then I started writing my own songs. And it's also where I learned to play keyboard. The keyboard and my mom taught me a little bit. But I moved the keyboard up to my room for a period of time and I would just play and sing my heart out until sometimes the wee hours of the morning. My dad would be getting ready for work and he'd be like, go to bed. - Wow. - You need to go to bed. It's now five in the morning. - What did your parents do? - My stepdad worked in the car business and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. - Yeah. - Is it true that she was a Dallas cowboy cheerleader before that? - Yes. - Did you know that as a child growing up? - Oh, yeah. - You did. - I did. - My mom made it very clear that she was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Like, my household was Cowboys all the way. And, you know, she showed us her pictures from being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She had a really great time and still cherishes those memories. - The image of the cheerleaders is that they're so glamorous and beautiful and perfect. Like, is that how you saw her? Is that how she saw herself? - My mom was, she's very real. Like, she's very, very down to earth, very grounded. And I think for a while, she tried to uphold that image of being a cheerleader. They had taught her, you know, never leave the house without makeup. So she wore makeup all the time until, you know, a certain age, but like, her personality was always grounded. So she was made up, but then, you know, after, I would say when I was about like seven, she kind of let her let that go a little bit and not let herself go, but like she let that, the need to look a certain way all the time. - Yes. - And she was just my mom, but she was the most supportive. She still is. She's just so supportive in my dreams and my personal life. She's such a gift and she's, I'm so grateful for her. I love her so much. - Did you bond over that, the makeup, when you were a little girl? - I did play in her makeup, you know, I was a pageant girl. When I was, I started beauty pageants when I was seven. So I would play in her makeup and sometimes I would do my own makeup, not for the beauty pageants, but, you know, if I had like an appearance where I was showing up as, and I would only wear minimal makeup, it wasn't like the glitzy beauty pageants where you have the layers of shadow. - Yeah, the beauty pageant, is that a thing? - Oh, that's a thing. - Wait, what do you mean? - Like flippers, like people would wear flippers and the glitzy pageants. - Wow. - And the beauty pageants I did, if they knew you were wearing fake eyelashes, you'd be disqualified. - Wow. - So it was like a different type of beauty pageant. - Fall feels like the perfect time for a reset. 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And now, neutrophil is offering our listeners $15 off your first month subscription. And free shipping when you visit neutrophil.com and enter promo code street. That's neutrophil.com spelled-n-u-t-r-a-f-o-l. com promo code street for $15 off. (upbeat music) I honestly did not know that there were different levels to beauty patches. - Yes, so there's different types of beauty patches. So there's the glitzy ones where the dresses would cost thousands of dollars. And I think the reward for winning would be thousands of dollars. I got my dresses from the Thref shop. (laughs) - So it was less expensive to do that. - And was more talent and interview based. - Did you want to do the patch-ins or did your mom want you to do the patch-ins? - I think they were, it was like in the family. - So she did them. - She didn't do them, but my great aunt Jan and her daughter Pam and then her daughter Erica. So it was in the family. We all did, they did beauty patch-ins. And my mom was like, well, that would be so much fun. Doesn't it sound like so much fun? And I was like, of course, I get to play dress-up and go on stage and sing. And I started singing when I was about four years old. So to give me a stage to perform on was such a dream come true for me. - But what do you mean you started singing when you were four, just around the house? - My first time on stage was when I was, I think I was five. I was at the talent show at school. - At school? - At school. - And I loved singing. My mom was a country singer. And she opened up for Reba McIntyre, George Strewbate, Hank Williams Jr. And did she sing, was there a lot of music in the house? - Yes, she was always singing. And in fact, when I was a kid, we would be in the car and we would practice harmonizing with one another. So my sister would take the little harmony. I would take the high harmony. - Always. - Yeah, it was like that scene from Step Brothers when they're in the heart singing. - That was her family. - Except we didn't get yelled at. - Yeah, it's so great. - Yeah, it was so much fun. And I'm like, so grateful that we did that. 'Cause now I can harmonize easily. - It's just second nature for you. - Wow, okay, I have a picture of you from your page. - Okay. - Can I show you? - Yeah. - This sweet girl is so beautiful. - Yes. - Will you tell me what's happening there? Do you remember that pageant? - I do. This was the Texas State Cinderella Beauty Pageant. - Cinderella. - That was it. - That was it. - Pageant says so, I was in. - Uh-huh. - And I had just won many Miss Texas. - Oh my gosh. - Do you remember that moment? - Oh yeah. - You do. - It was such a big deal. It was like, it was so exciting to work so hard on something and then to be rewarded on a state competition level. And then you get to where, you know, the robe and the tiara and, I guess that's more of a crown and the banner. It was like, it was such a big deal. - When you say you worked really hard, do you mean on your singing? - On my performance, on my modeling. We would, just like in a regular beauty pageant, you would get dressed. They had evening wear and sportswear. - Oh my goodness. - So sportswear was more casual. It wasn't like sports attire. - Yeah. - But evening wear, you would put on this dress. - Will you describe it for people who are just listening, what's happening in this picture? - So this picture is so that red lip is incredible. - Oh, thank you. - Oh, I think that's a Revlon. - Yeah, it is. - Reddish brown. - Uh-huh. I, in this picture, I had just one Cinderella state, Minimus Texas and I have a lie on the Minimus is a little shoe, right? - Yeah, the glass lipber. - The glass lipber. - The Cinderella glass lipber, it is, yeah. And the dress I got at the Salvation Army, I think. - Wow. - And we had the robe. I'm wearing a crown and a banner that says "Manager Miss" and it was, that's me. - That was the first state competition. - Do you remember what you're saying? - I sang "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile." - Oh, from Annie? - Yes. - So good. - And I actually still have that, I have a neon sign in my glamour at home that says "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile." - The sweet. - Yeah. - That's really sweet. - So when did you know that you could sing? I mean like, and when I, I mean like sang, like when did you know that you had real pipes? - Thank you. I think there was, I can't remember which came first. My love for this country artist named Billy Gilman or when Kelly Clarkson won American Idol. They were around the same time. So I don't remember which was first. I think Billy Gilman was first, but he was this like 11 year old country singer. - Oh. - And he had these songs on the radio and I would belt. He belted as a kid. - Yes, voice, full-on. - Oh yeah, he could sing. And I just like, I was in love with him. (laughs) But I also was just like so. - He's like so. - He's dying with this. - Yeah, he's like, "Wait, what?" He, you know, I loved his music. So I would sing his songs all the time. And then when Kelly Clarkson won American Idol, and she sang a moment like this, that was like a game changer for me. That was the first time I really had an idol. Billy Gilman was more of a crush. - Mm-hmm. - Billy Clarkson was more of like a, I wanna be her something. - Did you all watch together as a family? - Oh yeah, yeah. We watched as a family. We voted every week. - You did. - Oh yeah. And I think when I met her for the first time, I hugged her three times because I was just like, you don't know what you mean to me and how you've shaped my career because I am who I am as a singer because of you. - Oh my goodness, that must have meant so much to her. - I think so, yeah. Is there something you're working on in your craft now that's similar to when you were a kid and you were trying to reach that one high note? Like is there a goal or something that you're aiming toward in the creative work these days? - Yeah, I'm actually, I'm always looking to write the next project, like my mind's already thinking of next album, I am always trying to hit higher notes than I've already hit. So those notes on the keyboard that are way way up there like I'm gonna hit those and I'm still working towards the next high note. - Can you give me an example of one of the high notes that you were reaching for as a kid that you would practice again and again? - Since you being gone, Kelly Clarkson. The notes and the bridge again and again. But she's, she's using her mixed voice and I didn't know how to use my mixed voice, so I was always belting that. - And then she sounded like she's belting. - Exactly. - There's some version of her mixed voice that she places it in a way that you don't know. - Yes. And before I, you know, it's much easier now to hit in your mixed voice than it is to like try and scream it. But as a kid, I was always trying to hit those notes and that was one in particular. It was a high G and I tried so hard. But do you write the songs with high notes in them to have to reach for them? - I write songs and then I go into the booth. I record them and then I do an ad lib pass and sometimes the ad lib pass has a crazy high note in it. Sometimes it's written into the song, but for the most part, I don't go in with the intention of like this song has to have a high note. It's just like, that sounds good. We should put it there, but I never, I always beat myself up for doing it because I'm like, why did I do that to myself? Now I'm gonna have to perform it on tour. - Right, right, everywhere you go. - Everywhere I go. So, yeah, that's, I dig myself in a hole with that. Are there songs that you love to sing on tour? Is there a hard but not too hard? - Stone Cold is a song of mine. That's a ballad and it's very soulful. - All of that emotion. It takes the wind out of me sometimes, especially when I perform it live the live version. I opt out of hitting the super high note and just instead hold it out as long as I can. And I mean, that's just as impressive. And that one can take the wind out of me sometimes. I will stand there and I'll be like, am I blacking out right now? Or am I okay? Yeah, it's a full-on performance, but that song I love to sing live. And I'll always love singing that song. (upbeat music) - If I had 24 hours in Dallas, first, I think we go to church. I love a big Southern church in Texas, especially the music, the community, the spirit. I love the feeling of being in a room with people who are connecting to something bigger than themselves and listen, if we're going to church in Dallas, we are getting dressed because we're not just showing up. We are showing out. And after seeing all that Sunday best, I am inspired to go shopping because Dallas knows how to dress. And I love that you can find everything, beautiful upscale things, but also casual stuff that you actually want to live in. So I want to wander. I want to look at beautiful things. I probably want to buy something I don't need. And then I think I'm getting outside for some fresh air. There are some gorgeous, great parks right in downtown Dallas where you can walk around, sit for a minute, take in the city, maybe find a food truck along the way. Then I think we go experience some art. I love museums, especially when I travel because I feel like art can tell you something about a place that you're not going to learn by just walking around. It gives you another way into a city, into its history, its creativity, all the things that have shaped it. And Dallas has some world class museums. Then we eat. I want barbecue, I want brisket, I want short ribs, I want greens, I want all the southern comfort, I can get my hands on, you know the food that somebody has been tending to for hours and hours and hours. And after a day like that, I want to come back to a home base that feels like part of the experience. So that's why I booked my stay on Airbnb for my perfect Dallas getaway. That way you're seeing in a neighborhood that gives you access to the best local spots that allows you to come back after a day of exploring to unwind and settle in and take a breath. But mostly I want to be in a place like that with a big table because when I think about my favorite days anywhere, they're really about the people. I want family, I want friends, I want people passing food and telling stories and laughing and staying at the table way longer than we planned. And then maybe at the very end of the night we're just outside. When the temperature has finally come down a little and we can look up at that enormous Texas sky and we're full in every possible way, that is my perfect 24 hours in Dallas. Did you love growing up in Texas? What was unique about having a Texas childhood? I loved growing up in Texas until I became a teenager. I felt when I was a teenager, I felt a little like out of place. I felt like, but growing up until I was a teenager as a kid, I loved Texas. And it was so nice to be a kid. And especially in the '90s, before screens were everything, it was going outside and playing tag in the woods next to your house. It was ding dong ditching. It was summer nights flashlight tag. What was the food like growing up? Southern food. Southern food. Like favorite meals. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, country grain beans. We don't call it country green beans. I love it. That whole situation. That is still my favorite meal. And the dessert? The dessert, I love to pecan pie. I loved-- I actually-- I went to Chili's a lot. And I loved the paradise pie from Chili's. That was my favorite dessert growing up. But yeah, there was just something about growing up in Texas that was so wholesome and family-oriented. And I just have so many fond memories of being a kid there. What did your house smell like? My house smelled-- there's like a particular smell. And I think it's my family. I can't describe it. It's not bad, maybe. You're going to think your own phone. It's like your phone. It just like-- it smells like my mom. And that smells like home to me. And my mom didn't cook very much. But when she did, we would-- the house would smell-- like hamburger helper? Oh, God. Yeah. So specific. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It would smell like that. Or like sometimes she would make this chicken and rice dish that was really good. And it would smell like that. Yeah. So sweet. Who was the funny one in the family? My mom is hilarious. Really? My mom is so funny. But also someone that was a really prominent figure in my life, who was like a second mom to me, actually, was my aunt Lisa. And she is not blood-related. She is my mom's best friend. So Southern, right? The play aunties and play cousins. And she was my best friend as a kid. I would hang out with her more than I would hang out with other kids my age. Really? I would go to her house and we would watch Saturday Night Live and Mad TV. And I wouldn't understand the jokes to the fullistic sense, but I would see the comedy and the comedic timing. And I would laugh so hard. And we'd wake up in the morning. And she would make me like a little bit of coffee and-- but with more milk than coffee. Yes, yes. And I just-- And then we would go-- church was a big part of my life as a kid. She would take me to Bible study. And we would go to church. And she would take me out to dinner after Bible study. And we'd just like she was really a huge part of my life. And she was so funny too. I think that a part of the reason why I have a sense of humor today is not only because of my mom, but because of her. Because you're-- one of the things I love about your sense of humor is how well you laugh at yourself. Yes. You're able to really have a sense of humor about your own experience. Is that come from your mom and from your aunt Lisa? I would say it comes more from my aunt Lisa because she would be the type of person that would be silly. We would be silly in public. And she was never embarrassed. She didn't have the Dallas Cowboy cheerleader facade to a bold, yeah. Exactly. She was just-- she was silly. And so I never grew up being embarrassed of myself. There are times when I go older and I would go viral for the wrong reasons for saying, oh, I don't know. I love mugs where I start to feel embarrassed, but even your ability to laugh about that must make it so much easier for you. Yes. Yes. And so my aunt Lisa was a huge-- and still is a huge part of my life. What's the dynamic like between you and your sisters? My sisters and I are very close. Were you always like as kids in that house? Were you always close? Yeah, well, my older sister, Dallas, and I would fight a lot because I would steal her clothes. That was the biggest thing. We were only four and a half years apart. So when I was 12 and she was 16, 17, I would go in her closet and steal her clothes. And that was the worst thing you could do. And we would get into a lot of fights, but physical fights? Yeah. Rough and tumble, yeah. Pulling of the hair, you name it. And my little sister was born when I was nine. So there's a big age difference with us. But I like to say that I helped raise her because I was home schooled when she was born. I was actually on Barney and Friends when she was born. Wow. So I was home. And when I wasn't home, I was working. But I was just-- I was around for those really formative first few years of her life. And yeah, I'm so grateful that I was. So let's talk about the journey from this beautiful little girl in the pageant picture to a working actress on Barney. Was that your dream, your desire? Yes. You asked for that. Yes. The first time that I ever auditioned for Barney was when I was five. And my mom was like, hey, you love Barney. There's an open call for the casting. If you do want to go audition for the role. And I was like, absolutely, I would love to be on TV. I guess not my first idol, but the first person. I always wanted to be the first person. The youngest person to ever win a Grammy in an Oscar. - Where did that dream come from? - I think I like Shirley Telly. was someone that I watched a lot at my grandparents house and I knew of and was just like I want to be the next Shirley Temple. I just had the big big dreams as a kid and so when you know the Barney audition came around even though I was so young I was like I know that like I want to do this. I didn't know if I wanted to do it for the rest of my life but in that moment I said yes get me on that show and I didn't book it I came close I didn't book it because I couldn't read yet and my mom would draw pictures next to each line in the script and that's how I would memorize it. So I'd be like do you want to get ice cream and there'd be an ice cream cone next to and that was your cue and that was my way of memorizing the line. Do you still memorize lines that way like not I don't I doubt you draw pictures in the scripts but do you kind of have a mnemonic device where you think of an image or one word or I do have a photographic memory you do yeah it's not the best but like I think when I memorize lines like I am able to memorize it because of I dissect the the the paragraph itself into sentences and I'm able to like visualize it rather than like people who hear yes I can't do that you can't learn from listening yeah but when you're thinking of lines you're thinking of the pictures of the words yeah and the and the emotions yeah once you get past the actual words it's so interesting because you didn't start as just a singer or just an actor like you were really pursuing all of these things at the same time from a very young I was hustling I was trying to get into this industry whatever way I could and if that was through acting with Barney then I was going to do that if it was through modeling I modeled as a kid and then so so beauty pageants how I got from beauty pageants to acting was I was in I did many mistextes and then shortly after there was an audition the Barney auditions came back around and my mom said would you like to try again and I was like absolutely I got an acting coach and I booked Barney by then you could read by then I could read and and I got an acting coach and I got an agent from there and I started working as a kid and that was the beginning of like my my career did you have a sense of being different at that age when that started happening I knew I was different because my priorities were different there was one music festival that I was performing at it was just a local music festival I had to learn a song in Spanish for this music festival and I'm Hispanic so I wanted to represent my culture and I was like my mom was like you know if you want to do this music festival they want you to sing in Spanish so I said okay I'll do it how old I think I was seven or eight did you have you weren't speaking Spanish at home at all no I can't remember who helped me I think it may have been people from my step-dad side of the family or I can't remember but I sang two songs one was Selena and the other was a Christina Aguilera Spanish version so one of hers and there was a snow day which is a really big deal in Texas it's snow's in Texas it does I sound so stupid as a New Yorker but I'm like wait what yeah it's snow sometimes in Texas but it's very rare so if it's a snow day like we cancel school magical it's magical everyone's outside playing and my mom was like you only have a short amount of time before this music festival you have to learn these songs I was like but it's a snow day and she's like this is going to be a big lesson for you would you rather learn these songs and be prepared or would you rather go play out in the snow and I was like what would you rather do would you rather go player would you rather be prepared and I was like well I don't want to go on stage and look like a fool so I learned I stay inside and I learn the songs because it was more important to me snow days come and go but this music festival was you know a big deal and an opportunity for me to possibly get discovered and I was like I'm gonna stay inside and I'm gonna perform or rehearse for this performance and I did and paid off nothing came of that musical that music festival but it was a good it was a it taught me a lot because I realized you know in order to have the opportunities that I was gonna have I would have to work hard and I would have to sacrifice some things and that was a very memorable moment for me so my priorities were different than other kids what what did you love about singing as a child I love I think I just loved emoting hmm I loved it being able to pour my heart and soul into a performance I always knew that my mom always taught me that singing there was more to singing than just putting your voice on it you had to feel it with inside of yourself it was more than sound yeah that they were sold to it and I I loved connecting the two and I loved being different than other kid performers because I knew that I wasn't just singing notes I was really putting my heart and soul into it and feeling the emotions that I was singing about did you feel like there was a moment when you discovered your voice I think when I was about when Kelly Clarkson came onto the scene and because you felt like your voice was similar to hers I she was someone that I could uh that I would practice really hard in my room too and when I and I she had high notes in her songs that I was determined and and that's when I saw my my ability turn into something that was like oh I'm not just a kid singing like there's actually potential here were you alone figuring out how to do that with somebody telling you how to manipulate your voice or were you well I I got a vocal coach named Linda Septian when I was eight years old so Linda started teaching me how to sing from my diaphragm and taught me how to warm up my voice and she taught me so much she also taught me the importance of songwriting how you know it's important to not just be a singer but an artist and I learned all that you know at a very young age but I was basically most of the time I would be in my room which was my happy place in Texas and I would be singing my heart out and I would you would I annoyed my family so much because I would be trying to hit these high notes again and again and again and again and I would scream if I didn't get it like I was so frustrated but um when I would hit it I I wouldn't stop and my family just like heard me practicing I felt like my whole childhood I whole childhood was full of me rehearsing music how did you know you could get there I think there was just an ambition I didn't think that I didn't know if I could get there it was just a drive to try and when I when I first started hitting some of the high notes that Billy Gilman was singing I was like maybe I can start trying to hit the high notes that Christine Aguilera is hitting or Kelly Clarke's in and as a kid you have a much higher register so those notes aren't super I mean they're hard to hit of course but like they're even harder to hit as an adult when your voice drops and yeah and they're just they're incredible but you know I tried so hard and and I finally I would accomplish those high notes and and then I started performing them when you started traveling more for work when your career really starts picking up how did you bring home with you on the road when I started traveling for work it was a very short period of time before I had to up and move to LA so my big break I would say Barney was like a really big break for me but I would say the the biggest break was Camp Rock and this TV show sunny with a chance that I did both Disney both Disney I had booked a short interstitial show for Disney Channel called As the Bell Rings and from there I got my foot in the door with Disney I did about like two auditions in LA and then I booked I booked Camp Rock this movie and series like at the same time I had auditioned for a TV show called Jonas, which was the Jonas Brothers TV show. And I screen tested for it. I came down between me and one other girl and she, I didn't book it. And I was so devastated. I was like, I don't want to do this anymore. The rejection was really hard on a kid. I think I was 14. And Disney called me back and they said, we want you to audition for two more projects. And it turned out to be Camp Rock in sunny with a chance. And I booked them both. And so I went from, I went and filmed Camp Rock. I was home for about three months. And then I signed to a manager. The manager was like, well, we need to make an album and release it around Camp Rock. Oh, wow. So I went, you know, in March of 2008 or nine, I went to LA to make an album and left for tour. And I came home to a different house. And that was when I moved away from Wilk's drive. And what do you remember missing about Wilk's drive when you moved? When I moved, we didn't sell the house until just a few years ago, actually. So we had it in our lives for quite some time. But when I moved away to LA, I missed the simplicity of Colleyville, Texas. I missed the vast, the big streets, big wide open streets. Yes, big wide open streets. I missed the parking. I just missed how simple it was. I think when I moved to LA, it was like, it's such a big city. And I was learning to drive when I first got here. So it was very intimidating to learn how to drive on the 101. It's quite the feet. And I I don't know. I just, I missed going to the park in the middle of the night with my friends and just like being a teenager. And, you know, going to, there was an area called South Lake Town Center. And we would walk around. We couldn't like, I didn't have, you know, the means to like go shopping all the time. But we would walk around and we'd go to the cheesecake factory and just get the bread. Then we'd bounce. And, you know, maybe see a movie if we were lucky. But like we spent, I spent a lot of time with my friends, especially as a teenager, like driving around in the car, listening to music. And just like, that's what you do, you know, as a, as a teenager. Yeah. And then you move and you're working and everything's different. Yeah. So obviously you then like this amazing career takes off. And there's been, you've done so many interviews about like that chapter of your life and some of the difficulties and the challenges. What I want to talk about is today, you're so from my perspective, so happy. Yeah. So, um, at peace. And it feels like you have found that sense of simple. Yeah. Again. Yes. And I wonder how you got back to that. Like how did you get back to a sense of being on wide open streets, even if you're not on wide open streets? Yeah. You know what's beautiful is like, that's a very accurate read. I've done a lot of work on myself. I've been through a lot and I have put in those hours and therapy and treatment and you name it. I've done a lot of soul searching. And I've also found my partner, my husband. That's such a gift. Oh, it's such a gift. And he's brought so much joy into my life. I think that I wouldn't have gotten to this place how to not put in the work first. I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the gift of having the love of my life come into the picture. Had I still been wrapped up in some of the issues that I had had in the past. But I think he brought so much peace and joy and serenity into my life that like, I'm just so, um, I do feel like I've found my home and him. And my family is a huge part of my life. They're so important to me. I spend so much time with them. My friends are so important to me. I value connection over any award that I work towards, you know. I know I've, I think because I've been in this industry since such a young age, I realized that there's been times in my life where all of this has like not gone away, but it's gotten quieter. What stays consistent is family, is friends, is my husband. And that's what I hold on to. So I keep my circle small. Yeah. And I value my relationships in my life more than anything. It's interesting because when I hear you talk about keeping your values intact, I love that you say my connections are more important than any award that I'm working toward, meaning you're still working toward things. You're still that ambitious little girl, but you understand what's even more important. But you, you're able to like hold space for both things. Yeah. I'm able to hold space because my, my craft keeps me busy. It keeps me sane. It keeps me, you know, focused. It gives me structure. But at the end of the day, I don't come home to an award. And you know what I mean? I come home to my dogs and my husband. And that's what brings me joy. And I'm like, all of this can go away. What's important in life is connection. And that's what I hold true to me. Do you feel like your music has allowed you to explore that healing? I could feel like we have a window into some of your most painful moments through the music, but also this most recent album and tour is so filled with joy. Like what role has music played in helping you to figure out who you are and what you're feeling, what you're thinking? This latest album was so celebratory and so fun for me. I didn't really dive deep in a sense where like I drenched up a lot of traumatic experiences to find inspiration like I have in the past. This album was so like celebratory and fun and it was just reflective of where I'm at in my life today. I've, music has been therapeutic for me though at very pivotal points in my life. I've reached a music as an outlet and it's been so cathartic for me. It's so healing to be able to put my life experiences into lyrics and melodies. It's just like and then share it with people and then get you know help them go through the same or help them process the same emotions that I'm feeling. It's so healing for me and I that's why I love doing what I do. You know I'm always going to have something to write about and that's why I'll always continue to write. Whether I release it or not, I'm still going to make the music and so it's been very healing and I'm so fortunate that I get to do this. It's so special that you had your own room growing up in that house that you learned to have such a deep one-on-one relationship with your craft. Yes. I used that room as my studio. I didn't have a studio yet but that room was my studio. And like your lab. There's my lab. Exactly. I would write songs. I would write you know multiple songs in one night and would just be you know typing or journaling, writing so many lyrics, learning songs that I loved and striving for those high notes like no other. And it really shaped me as a musician. Do you remember the first time that you shared a song that you wrote with someone outside the room? I think I was like seven. And I had written first, well when I was seven I wrote a poem and that was the first time I shared anything that I had written with another person and I think I read it to like my mom or my aunt Lisa. I couldn't tell you what it was about. The first song I ever wrote was called Butterflies and it was about my crush. And I wrote that song and that was like the first song that I ever played in saying I think for my mom. And it was like Butterflies week in the knees if only you could see the butterflies in me. And I was like probably like eight or nine. That's actually really powerful to hear you say because I think for a lot of people when they're growing up as artists, as actors, as musicians, what people remember is the response, the applause, but the fact that you actually remember the work, even then what you were focused on was the work as opposed to the reaction. Yeah, the reaction was always nice. Yeah, don't get me wrong. And I think the reason why I don't remember it is because my mom was always supportive. So I know that when I played it for her and for my stepdad, my stepdad is also, he's my dad. Like, I say he's my stepdad, but he raised me and he has been the most supportive, he's been so supportive in my life. My parents have been the most supportive and always encouraged me to accept when it was like five in the morning. And they were like, you know, they would encourage me to, you know, get all the guitar lessons, the voice lessons, the acting lessons, whatever it was, they like encouraged me to work on my craft. And you felt like you could take risks maybe because they were so supportive? I think anytime you drop out of public school to homeschool and work on a craft, I mean, that's a huge risk in itself. So yeah, I would say definitely I felt like I was able to take risks and that they would stand by you. Yeah, definitely. Has it felt rewarding to be able to share your voice from this place, the area in your life right now? Yeah, definitely. I think so much of my story has been, has been vulnerable, you know, me sharing some of the challenging times that I've had. And there's something so healing about being in a place where I'm not like, you know, I'm not healed. I continue to work on myself. You know, I'm in therapy once a week. Yeah. But to be able to sit back and be like, I did that, like I did the work on myself and I'm in a great place now. Like it feels so good. Can I talk to you just because it's a place for you and I yeah, have a lot of overlap and similarities and experience? Can we talk a little bit about food? Yeah. And I want to talk about it because again, to me, it's one of these really powerful places where in your life right now, you seem to have so much joy and peace. You have a cookbook. And yet I wonder what it was like in your home growing up. Like you loved food as a kid. Was there, what was the relationship with food like in your house as a kid? The relationship with food as a kid was very difficult. Even from a really young age. From a very young age, my first experience with having a negative relationship with food started when I was about eight or nine when my little sister came into the picture and I don't say that to like, blame on anyone. But it was just that the attention was no longer on just me as the baby. And I coped by binge eating and overeating. And I would bake, you know, a pan full of cookies. And I would eat all of them in one sitting. And then it went to, you know, copying, I think, what I learned, what I saw my mom going through, my mom had a needing disorder. And you were aware of it. I became aware when I was old enough to comprehend what she was dealing with, which was about 12, 13. And I noticed her food behaviors. And I emulated some of what I saw. And that's when I developed anorexia. And from there, it turned into bulimia. And it wasn't until I was 18 that I sought treatment for it. But I had had, you know, from eight years old to 18, unhealthy relationship with food. And I've done a lot of work. I've been to treatment several times. And I can say that today, I'm not in a place where I look at myself as fully healed. I don't think that that's something that I even think about striving towards because it doesn't seem realistic. I think that food is going to be a battle for the rest of my life. But it's a manageable battle. And it's something that I have found freedom in with cooking, with my body image. I'm not, I don't, some days I don't love my body, but there are days where I accept it. And I live in a, I would say, I live in a place of acceptance now, where I don't look in the mirror and be right myself for having, you know, curves. I learned to, I think the most healing part of this tour that I went on this last year, I had put on a little weight before the tour. And I was stressed and I was like, I don't want to go on stage. Like, I'm terrified. People aren't, you know, they're going to say things. They're going to write online. I went on stage anyways. No one turned around. No one got out of their seats and said, she's not a size zero. You know, they still loved me and cried tears of joy when I sang for them. I was like, that's a huge lesson for me because, and it's taken me, you know, I'm, I'm 34. You know, I, my worth isn't in my body. My husband doesn't love me because of my body. My family doesn't love me because of my body. I'm not sitting in this chair because of my body. I am beautiful as I am. But most importantly, I'm a good human and that's what I hold true to my heart. So I've learned a lot and, you know, I, I'm really proud of how far I've come in that, in my journey with my eating disorder recovery. Yeah. I'm really grateful for how you talk about it because as somebody who also is in recovery and knows that this is going to be a path that I'm walking my whole life, your honesty around it is so liberating. You know, like anytime you hear another person share their experience, it makes you feel less alone. And I'm so moved by what you shared about those years, because listening to you, I was like, oh, I had the same decade-long stretch. I had the same, like, it started around seven and it wasn't until I was in college and I was about 19 that I went into treatment for the first time, maybe a little older, 1920. So I just think about that kid, like, navigating all of that for so long. And like you, like, the disorder changed shape. And it was, if I kept like changing shape and doing different behaviors that I never had to call it one thing. And I could avoid thinking it was a problem, but it's really courageous for you to share the details of your journey and also to share the joy, right? Like, and that's a huge deal from, to go from somebody who couldn't deal with food and body in a healthy way, which is how I would express my own experience with it. Like, I can't imagine writing a cookbook. So so wonderful. Thank you. You must look at that and see so much recovery. I look at that as one of the my biggest accomplishments personally, not just career-wise, but like personally. And first of all, thank you for your vulnerability and courage to speak about your experience as well. Like, you are also creating connection by sharing your experience and opening up about what you've been through. I think it's actually as women of color also. Yeah. And I think having gotten to a place where I've written a cookbook was such a big deal because the first time I went step foot into a grocery store in treatment, I broke down in tears because the sight of so much food was so overwhelming and so was so overwhelming and so debilitating that I had a panic attack. I can go from that to stepping foot into a kitchen, knowing my way around and cooking meal, now sometimes without a recipe. I still am reliant on recipes for the most part. But there are times where I don't use one. Yeah. And that to me is like one of the biggest accomplishments in my life personally. I think about it a lot too when I think about the street that my kids are growing up on and how I'm really excited that my kids are growing up in a home where there's a high level of consciousness around healthy eating behaviors and cooking and embracing food and finding joy and food and body image. Yes. I think one of the reasons my my dietician and I worked together in my recovery and she was just like we were having a moment recently where she was like I'm so proud of you. Because I feel like for so long your soil was dry and we would water it and it just wouldn't take the water because it was you were so in it for a while. And she was like now I see grass and I see flowers and I looked at her and I said I'm going to go a step further and say I'm trying to build a beautiful oak tree that will come from that soil that will shade and protect my children from negative body image talk and outside. Influence, Diet culture, things like that like I want to protect my kids and so kids are something that I want to that's a journey I want to embark on and I'm excited for. Yeah and I want to make sure that I am in a good enough spot personally to take on that responsibility with having children yeah and so that's what I work towards I work towards you know having a healthy relationship with food and body image for my children yeah. My daughter said to me the other day she saw me working out and she was like you're so strong and I thought thank you right like she wasn't like you're so skinny or you're so fat or you're so it was about what I can do as opposed to how I look yeah I thought that's that is so different from how I grew up yeah I really love the amount of grace that you give your mom to knowing that she was struggling with some of this coming out of cheerleading and her own food and body seven it's really beautiful to see. It's really beautiful to see that you can be on a path of recovery out of some of that behavior but but not be angry at her I will never be angry for a struggle that you know that we share we share. And she's in recovery now and it's beautiful because when I went into treatment a few months later she went into treatment. And you know I'm grateful that I could open that door for her and she's really done the rest of the work you know she's she cooks now which she that was one of reasons why she didn't really cook a lot when I was a child yeah she was dealing with her own food stuff and intimidation and yes and now she cooks and we're both on that culinary journey and I'm in a much better place with that. I just want to share with you that when you were talking about watering your soil and growing grass and having that tree it made me think of Wilks drive because one of the first things you talked about at the end of that curved driveway was that tree. And I just think it's so special that you've been able to take the opportunity of moving into that house and having your world expand and just live a life that's full of more and more expansion and health and beauty and family and connection so I really I'm so grateful that you shared so much of that journey with us and I'm so grateful to continue to watch you be on this journey. Thank you I'm so grateful that you invited me today to speak about where I came from yeah I had the best time oh good and I feel like I got to know you more to and I'm like grateful for that opportunity so I just I had a great time. Okay before you go so the Elevate Prize Foundation is granting us money to grant to you every guest on the show is being given $10,000 to donate to an organization that is elevating the community elevating the street you grew up on by continuing to help people. It's amazing it's really exciting yeah it's so exciting so where would you like your money to go I would like it to go to need and need is an organization that is close to my heart because what will for the reasons that we talked about yeah and we tell everybody what need a stands for yes the national eating disorder association and you know their symbol for eating disorder recovery was a symbol that got me you know through a lot of difficult times I almost got it tattooed on me which I still might but what is the symbol it's like a it looks like an S and then a little almost like a heart in S but I you know that I would draw that symbol all the time when I was first in recovery and it would just get me through so much but I really value the work that they do and and I'm so grateful to be able to give this prize fund to them. Thank you. Yeah it's amazing. I know that you just finished your tour but is there anything else you want to share with us I don't everybody should go buy the cookbook yeah what else what I'm playing at a time. One plate at a time it's a great title. Thank you and I don't really have anything else to promote promote. I'm just here to talk about where I grew up and share some time with you. I'm very excited that you're already thinking about your next album. Thank you for that spoiler. Yeah of course. That's exciting. That's the team. I think the image that is staying with me from this conversation is the big beautiful tree that Demi described in front of her house in Texas because she wants to give her family that same kind of beautiful tree to sit under and grow and live and be enjoy. I love that I love her and I love you for being here with us to listen to that conversation so remember to follow us like and subscribe street grew up on and continue to come back we have a lot more guests and a lot more streets to walk on with you. Along with my company Simpson Street I am the proud executive producer of the upcoming docu series elevate studios nevertheless democracy defenders which spotlights leaders taking on the rising polarization threats to civil liberties and democratic backsliding around the world. The special bonus to today's episode we're going to hear from one of the elevate prize winners featured in the series about the street they grew up on. I'd like to introduce you to Hana Fried from all voting is local all voting is committed to fighting for the freedom to vote and advancing pro voter policies at the state and local level. This episode premieres on October 15th so please visit youtube dot com slash elevate prize to tune in. My name is Hana Fried I am with all voting is local and the street that I grew up on is 30 second street in Washington DC. My apartment fair minded and I was a little too serious pancakes definitely pancakes. My dad is retired foreign service and we lived overseas and I remember being a kid and meeting activists in Poland for example people who had been jailed because they were trying to make you know get a creative free Poland and I think that left a real impression on me as a kid. Democracy was the business of the people I grew up in a neighborhood where people worked for the federal government and committed their whole lives to civil service and that is what makes democracy real. It's that engagement of people from voting to committing their whole lives through their work through their service through their career. I have good ideas that my ideas were enough and they were worth doing something about and to remember that and keep that in my mind and not be afraid to share them and do something with them.