Demi Lovato wasn’t exactly in everyones’ good graces towards the end of 2019 following a controversial trip to Israel. Lovato’s performance of her song “Anyone” at the 62nd annual Grammy awards may have been Lovato raising the white flag and reminding us how human we can all be.
In a teary-eyed performance, Lovato returned to stage for the first time since her 2018 overdose, and sang some relatable lyrics, stating, “Tired of empty conversation / ‘Cause no one hears me anymore.”
In “Anyone” Lovato also mentions turning to alcohol to cope, and it’s no secret that the pop sensation has struggled with sobriety and drug abuse throughout her career. In 2017 Lovato put out a documentary titled “Simply Complicated” where she talked about her sobriety of six years. Less than a year after that documentary was released, Lovato unfortunately relapsed.
The news came to light after an assistant found her passed out in her home, fearing that the 25-year-old Lovato had died. Her assistant was not the only one worried, as fans and celebrities took to social media to express their love and concern for the former Disney star.
Despite all the support she received in 2018, fans were quick to call Lovato out on her controversies the following year
In 2019 Lovato took a trip to Israel that went viral after the songstress shared some images of the trip to her Instagram. In one post the “Anyone” singer was getting baptized in the Jordan River, while another showcased her visit to the Shalva National center, a center for children with special needs.
In spite of her good efforts, many Lovatics didn’t care for the photos or what they represented. They harped on Israel’s conflict with Palenstine, and saw the trip as a very political statement from the singer.
In a photo caption Lovato wrote, “I’ve never felt more renewed in my life.” She continued, “This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart, and my soul. I’m grateful for the memories made and the opportunity to be able to fill the God-sized hole in my heart.”
What was meant to be an opportunity to heal quickly turned into a nightmare.
To make matters worse, it was alleged that Lovato was paid $150,000 to post content from the trip. After the backlash Lovato took to her Instagram story to clear the air and stated that she received a free trip in exchange for some posts.
Lovato apologized to fans writing:
“…No one told me there would be anything wrong with going or that I could possibly be offending anyone. With that being said, I’m sorry if I hurt or offended anyone, that was not my intention. Sometimes people present you with opportunities and no one tells you the potential backlash you could face in return. This was meant to be a spiritual experience for me NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT and now I realize it hurt people and for that I’m sorry.”
The response to Lovato’s song “Anyone” has been refreshing
After the roller coaster that was 2019, Lovato started 2020 out right with her Grammy performance on Jan. 26, and the reception to the Disney alum being back on stage after 2 years has been nothing but positive.
Twitter users flooded the app with nothing but praises of the singer like the following:
Long time friend and fellow singer Selena Gomez took to Instagram, and on her story wrote of Lovato’s “Anyone” performance, “I wish there were words to describe how beautiful, inspirational and DESERVED this moment was. Demi I’m so happy for you. Thank you for your courage and bravery.”
Other artists including Christina Aguilera and Sam Smith reportedly praised Lovato’s performance. Lovato shared these musicians praises to her story hours later, but fans could not help but notice that Gomez’s comment on the performance was not amongst the ones shared. It’s good to keep in mind that Gomez did not tag Lovato in her post, drastically reducing the chances of Lovato seeing it or being able to repost it. It’s very likely that Gomez also contacted Lovato privately about her performance.
In September 2018 Gomez spoke to Elle about how she felt about Lovato about a week after Lovato was hospitalized after relapsing in July 2018. Getting choked up, Gomez said, “all I’m saying is, I reached out personally. I didn’t do a public thing. I didn’t want to. I…I love her. I’ve known her since I was seven. So…it’s…that’s what I’ll say.”
Nevertheless, this was a nice sentiment from the “Look At Her Now” singer, as Gomez and Lovato have had quite the rocky friendship.
Lovato has set the bar high for 2020, and seeing that she also sang the national anthem at this years super bowl, it doesn’t seem like she’s stopping any time soon.
