Demi Lovato Reveals She Was Forced To Become A 'Hyper-Feminine Pop Star'

Demi Lovato reflected on her experience as an "unhappy" young star and how it affected her identity.

Lovato said people used to influence her actions and decisions when she was a teenager who was starting her career in the industry. During her popstar phase, Lovato would get up on stage in leotards and stiletto shoes, which she felt "miserable in," and would dance but she "wasn't happy."

"That led to me completely losing myself," she told Apple Music 1's Zane Lowe on Thursday . "The team that was around me was dictating my decisions and trying to influence the direction that I was going," she said. "I didn't know who I was, and I had a team that was trying to force me into a direction to be this hyper-feminine pop star. And I was so unhappy doing that."

Lovato started her career by playing Charlotte Adams on Disney Channel's "As The Bell Rings." In the same year, she also starred in the series "Sonny with a Chance" and the television film "Camp Rock." She lent her voice to four songs for its soundtrack, including "We Rock" and "This is Me."

Lovato released her debut album, "Don't Forget," in 2008 and her second album, "Here We Go Again," in 2009. Her fifth album, "Confident," received glowing praises from critics and debuted at No. 2 on Billboard 200 in 2015. She released her sixth studio album in 2017 but went on a hiatus in 2018 due to a drug overdose. Lovato is currently gearing for an international tour beginning Aug. 30 and is set to release her new album "HOLY FVCK" on Friday.

The singer, who turns 30 on Saturday, said she has gained a wider perspective on many things now. When asked what advice she would give her 18-year-old self, the "Skyscraper" singer said, "Don't listen to anybody but yourself. This isn't about what anybody wants from you. It's about what you want from them."

"I would say, 'You're beautiful. You don't need to lose weight. You don't need to judge yourself so hard. But I couldn't have been able to comprehend those words at that time anyways. I just was in a position where everything I did was under a microscope, and so finding myself was under a microscope as well," she added.