By Karolina Dombaxi, Contributing Writer
Demetria Devonne Lovato, also known as Demi Lovato, started out as a child actor on “Barney & Friends.” Her debut came in Disney’s “Camp Rock” in 2008, which paved her way to stardom. That same year she released her first album “Don’t Forget” which reached number two on the Billboard 200.
Over the past decade, Lovato has released six albums and one documentary. Another documentary crew was in the process of shooting her “Tell Me You Love Me” tour when she overdosed on heroin on July 24, 2018. The documentary was shelved and Lovato took the time to recover.
In the spring of 2020, a trailer was released for “Dancing with the Devil,” her new documentary, that discusses the events in her life leading up to and after her overdose. It also included her struggles with an eating disorder and mental health issues. Some triggers include sexual assault, addiction and eating disorders.
The first two episodes were released on YouTube on March 23, 2020.
In the first episode, “losing control,” Lovato reveals that she is finally ready to tell her story. Other people included in this documentary that give their commentary include her parents, sister, best friends, former assistant and choreographer.
She reveals that she was strictly watching her diet and trying to control everything in her life. After a certain point, Lovato turns back to drinking and trying drugs while hiding it from her family members. In the early morning of July 24, 2018, Lovato revealed that she called over her drug dealer not knowing that the drugs she was given would be laced with Fentanyl.
The second episode “5 minutes from death” discusses Lovato’s struggles while she was in the hospital. At that point, news had broken out that Lovato had overdosed and the whole world knew about it.
Lovato’s family and close friends gave details about how devastated they felt when they found out. Lovato suffered three strokes, a heart attack, pneumonia and suffered brain damage from the strokes. As a result, she now has blind spots in her vision and cannot drive a car anymore.
The third episode “reclaiming power” is about how Lovato’s choices affected the people around her. Her creative director and choreographer Dani Vitale was given the chance to clear the air about her involvement. Lovato reveals that she had to switch to new management with Scooter Braun. Even though Lovato is in rehab and on the road to recovery, she is still dealing with past trauma.
“Dancing with the Devil” is about more than Lovato’s overdose. It touches on the trauma she experienced as a kid and the way that everyone around her controlled her life. She had a lot of societal pressures that were put on her from a young age and, in a way, that was what encouraged her to take back her own control by turning to drugs and alcohol. Lovato is searching for a way to balance her addiction and live her life the way she wants to.
The docuseries sheds light on how even the world’s most perfect stars have battles with their own demons.
The series is available to watch on Demi Lovato’s YouTube Channel and the last episode will be coming April 6.
dombaxk19@bonaventure.edu
