Demi Lovato has been through a lot, but she’s happy with the place she’s in today.
Speaking at the Teen Vogue Summit in Los Angeles on Saturday, which marked her first major interview since her overdose in July 2018, the “Confident” singer, 27, spoke about how she’s stronger than ever.
“What I see in the mirror [is] someone that’s overcome a lot. I’ve been through a lot and I genuinely see a fighter,” she told Teen Vogue editor in chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner. “I don’t see a championship winner, but I see a fighter and someone who is going to continue to fight no matter what is thrown in their way.”
“I wouldn’t change the direction of my life for anything,” she said later, speaking about her career in the public eye, according to the The Hollywood Reporter. “I would never regret anything. I love the person that I am today.”
Part of Lovato’s strength has come from accepting herself and her body — even when she doesn’t feel that great about what she sees.
“We hear the term ‘body positivity’ all the time. To be honest, I don’t always feel positive about my body. Sometimes I do not like what I see,” she said. “I don’t sit there and dwell on it. I also don’t lie to myself.”
Instead, Lovato reminds herself to be grateful for her strength.
“I don’t have to lie to myself and tell myself I have an amazing body. All I have to say is, ‘I’m healthy.’ In that statement, I express gratitude,” she explained. “I am grateful for my strength and things I can do with my body. I am saying I’m healthy and I accept the way my body is today without changing anything.”
As part of her dedication to “embracing” her body, Lovato added that she “took the month of October off the gym.”
“For so many years I dealt with an eating disorder. What I wasn’t ever open with myself about was, whenever I was in the gym I was doing it to an unhealthy extreme,” she said. “I think that’s what led me down a darker path — I was still engaging in these behaviors.”
Lovato, who has been teasing new music for months, went on to share that while an album is coming, she’s not in any rush.
“It’s important to remember that I am so cautious this time around of jumping back into things. I’ve really decided to take my time with things, so when the time is right to release new music, I will put it out there,” she said, adding that she hopes in the future, she’ll be able to put the focus back on her musical talent.
“Genuinely I just want people to remember that I’m a singer,” she added. “I think that a lot of the things I’ve been through kind of outshined my successes in the music industry or acting now. I just want people to remember that that’s what I want to give to the world so please focus on that and not the other things.”
Over the summer, Lovato revealed that her new album would be completely “open and honest,” despite facing possible criticism about her choice to do so.
“You know what’s great about making an album? You get to say anything you want, be as open and honest as possible and tell your side of the story regardless of who might not like it…” Lovato wrote on her Instagram Story.
Via: People
