Following the release of her highly anticipated album, Tell Me You Love Me, Demi Lovato released an incredibly raw and authentic documentary called, Simply Complicated.
The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer released the documentary on YouTube on Oct. 17, 2017.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I find out about the documentary. I assumed it would reveal insight on her new album and how it came together, but it was so much more intimate than that.
The documentary immediately dives into Lovato’s personal, troubled past when she says the last time she did a long interview for her documentary, Staying Strong, she was high on cocaine. Although this was literally within the first minute of the hour and eighteen-minute documentary, my jaw was already on the floor.
Simply Complicated continues to reveal more about the singer-songwriter when Lovato speaks openly about her childhood. Some of the most heartbreaking moments were when she discussed her drug addict father, who left her, her mom, and her sister when Lovato was very young, and when she talked about the very dark thoughts she had starting at a young age.
Lovato shows her bravery when she talks about being continuously bullied at school. One student even created a suicide petition against a young Lovato and got people to sign it. Shortly after she was brutally bullied, her eating disorder began.
Another thing that shocked me was that she was battling drug addiction during her time on Disney Channel. Lovato was clearly in deep when she revealed that she would lie to the people who cared about her, fake her drug tests, and take the drugs wherever she could.
One of the biggest questions I wanted answered was more insight about why she punched her backup dancer, Alex Welch, and Lovato told me exactly what I wanted to know.
Welch apparently ratted Lovato out for abusing Adderall, which made Lovato very upset and angry. She recalls that even though she was close with the dancer, Lovato still wanted revenge. Following the assault on Welch, Lovato entered rehab for the first time for “emotional and physical problems.”
When Lovato was just 19-years-old, she was entering her first year of sobriety, and was also in the spotlight as a judge on the X Factor in America. I vividly remember watching her week by week, and even seeing her in person at the auditions in New York, but I never imagined the truth she revealed in the documentary. During her time on the X Factor, Lovato was living in a sober house and did not have a phone.
Lovato openly discusses this crucial time in her life and expresses that she knew it was time for her to change her ways.
The documentary also includes many interviews with some of the most important people in Lovato’s life, such as her mom, Dianna Hart, her sisters, Dallas and Amber Lovato and Madison De La Garza, her best friend from middle school, her manager, Phil McIntyre, and even her Disney co-star Nick Jonas.
Including these interviews adds depth and insight on Lovato’s experiences and the secrets behind her career, which gives fans the chance to truly get to know Lovato personally.
Aside from her dark, inner demons, Lovato also openly discussed her sexuality and love life. She recently broke up with her boyfriend of six years, Wilmer Valderrama, and speaks highly of the man who she believes will always have her heart.
Lovato also expressed that she is open to “human connection” and is currently on a dating app, called Raya, with both males and females. In the documentary, we even get to see Lovato getting excited over matching with someone, and talking about dating just as we do.
One of the last things that Lovato discussed was her still present battle with her eating disorder. Although she is going on five and a half years sober on drugs and alcohol, Lovato still struggles with bingeing and purging. During her relationship with Valderrama, Lovato had not binged and purged in three years, but when they broke up, it was one of the first things she did.
Lovato says that this is one of the reasons her and Valderrama broke up. She believes that she still has her own demons that she needs to learn how to battle on her own. Food has been a constant problem in her life, and when she feels lonely, she relies on food. Lovato knows that this is a demon she needs to conquer and is working hard to achieve that goal.
Hearing Lovato talk so authentically about her past, present, and future was something that not just Lovato’s fans, but everyone, can appreciate and admire. Seeing her handle her own problems through sobriety, exercise and acceptance was refreshing and inspiring. I think the public was exposed to the real Demi Lovato through Simply Complicated and that is something that is truly beautiful.
If you have not seen it already, check out Simply Complicated on YouTube today.
Also, catch Demi Lovato on tour with DJ Khaled next year! The pair is scheduled to perform at the Wells Fargo Center on March 23, 2018.