Demi Lovato Biography

Born in Texas on August 20, 1992, Demi Lovato is the daughter of Patrick Lovato and Dianna Lovato. She has an older sister named Dallas Lovato. In 1994, her father decided to move to New Mexico after his divorce from Dianna. A year later, her mother married Eddie DeLaGarza and Demi's new family expanded when her younger sister, Madison DeLaGarza, was born.

At the age of 10, Demi made an acting debut when she played Angela in PBS' children television show "Barney and Friends". On the set of the TV show, she met Selena Gomez and the two became good friends. Over the next few years, she continued to pursue her love for acting and singing. Under the guidance of her mother, who is a former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and country recording artist, she appeared in a number of productions and contests throughout the state of Texas.

In 2006, she tried to make her way into bigger television series by joining the cast of several television shows, including "Prison Break", "Split Ends (Pilot)", and "Just Jordan". As time went by, Demi accepted Disney Channel's offer to be a regular in first season of their short show, "As the Bell Rings". On the show, she stars as Charlotte Adams, a girl whom the main male character, Danny Neilson, dated.

Still, she didn't claim her fame until 2008 when she landed the part of Mitchie Torres in Disney's musical smash made-for-TV movie, "Camp Rock", alongside teen band sensation Jonas Brothers. Having to explore her singing talent deeper in "Camp Rock" and make a lasting impression with it, she then decided to jump deeper into music industry by touring solo on "Demi Live! Warm Up Tour". Following that solo gigs, Demi joined the Jonas boys in their 2008 Tour, entitled "Burning Up Tour".

In between her tight schedule, she took another project, once again signing a deal with Disney Channel. This time, it's for their next original movie entitled "Princess Protection Program". On top of that, the actress, who plays drum, guitar, and piano, was slated to star in her own TV series, "Welcome to Mollywood" where she portrayed Molly, an aspiring actress who gets a role on a television show.

Before starring in "Mollywood", Demi entered the recording room and cooked new materials for her upcoming debut album, "Don't Forget", with the help from the three Jonas brothers. While waiting for the record's release date, she released lead single, "Get Back" on August 12. It peaked at number 43 in Billboard Hot 200 and reached number 16 in Hot Digital Songs.

In 2009, Demi proceeded with her second studio album "Here We Go Again". It sent her to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 200, marking her best charting album so far. The title track even climbed to No. 15 on Hot 100. Outside music, she was booked to return to the movie that made her famous, "Camp Rock".

She reprised her role as Michie Torres with the Jonas Brothers in a sequel "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam". She was later romantically involved with Joe Jonas but they broke up later. Her career was put in a standstill after she was reported getting into a fight with a member of her entourage during a second joint tour with the band.

Demi went to rehab in 2010 for nervous breakdown. It was later revealed that she battled eating disorder, self-harming issue, and addiction with subscription pills. After being released from the rehab facility a year later, she wasted no time to return to work and pour her heart out in her third studio album "Unbroken", which became her most emotional work yet.

One of the most notable singles in the album was "Skyscraper" which chronicles her struggle to battle her demons. Demi has since actively campaigned to raise awareness against bulimia, body image and self-cutting issues. She received a lot of recognitions including from the U.S. Department of Health for her tireless works to help her peers who's battling the same problems as her.

Her triumphant comeback coupled with her inspiring story and work landed her a judging gig on "The X Factor (US)" that put her on the same panel as Britney Spears, L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell. In 2013, she returned with another album, a self-titled one called "Demi", which was released on May 14. It reached No. 3 on the album chart.

While busy promoting her album, Demi was tapped to come back to the "X Factor", which only proved her strong appeal to lure viewers. She joined Cowell and two new female judges Paulina Rubio and Kelly Rowland.