After the release of her sixth studio album, Tell Me You Love Me, pop singer-songwriter Demi Lovato has followed up the album with a documentary. Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated, chronicles Demi’s life and rise to stardom, while also showing some behind-the-scenes work in the studio for Tell Me You Love Me. Released through YouTube as a “YouTube Original”, the documentary is free for all to watch.
The documentary tells the story of Demi’s rise to stardom, but also sheds light on her struggles. Simply Complicated shows an intimate portrayal of her life, especially the darkest parts the world may have not known until now.
Simply Complicated begins with Lovato’s home-life from her start on Barney & Friends, then gradually goes to her Disney career and so on. The singer explains how stardom at such a young age was a lot for her, as it would be for anyone. While Lovato was this big star, she was missing out on the life of a normal teenager and had behavioral problems. The singer was later diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.
Lovato’s drug addiction began at the early age of 17, right around the time she was starring on Disney’s Sonny with a Chance. From there she struggled to contain her addiction and attempted treatment for it. Lovato’s manager, Phil McIntyre, even said he gave the singer an ultimatum to either clean up her act or lose all of her management and team.
The documentary also shed light on Lovato’s eating disorder. The singer showed pictures of her younger self and they implement just how hard it was for her to deal with the disorder. Recently, the now 25-year-old posted a picture to her Instagram story showing her journey overcoming it all.
On a lighter note, Lovato’s documentary illustrates her new-found confidence she’s found in her mid-twenties. After her relationship ended with former That 70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama, Lovato admitted he will always have a piece of her heart. However, she is now open to love or even embracing her sexuality through casual sex. In fact, the singer uses a dating app to look for both men and woman because she’s open to human connection. She’s found a sense of sexiness in herself, and it definitely showed.
In this later portion of the documentary, viewers get to see the light-hearted, goofy and confident side of Demi Lovato. Fans get a glimpse of her gaining confidence in her body image through working out and participating in Jiu-Jitsu. The film also shows her hanging out with friends and cracking jokes. Overall, the audience gets to see Demi as a person and not just the pop idol the world is used to.
The documentary all boils down to the creation of Tell Me You Love Me. It shows how her life as a whole has come to shape the album, both the good and the bad. This portrayal of Lovato’s life sheds light on who she is as a person, and how she became who she is today. In simple terms, this documentary illustrates how life is nothing but simply complicated.
