Demi Lovato Wanted “To Set The Record Straight” About Her Overdose In YouTube’s ‘Dancing With The Devil’ Docuseries

Anthony D'Alessandro
·3 min read
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Demi Lovato promised her fans that she’d tell them exactly what happened during the summer of 2018 when she overdosed, and finally, on March 23, they’ll get to hear her side of the story in the Michael D. Ratner-directed YouTube docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil.

“Over the past couple of years, I heard a few stories about my life and what people think happened. I wanted to set the record straight,” Lovato said Wednesday during YouTube’s virtual TCA panel.

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Lovato overdosed in July 2018 after a reported mix of oxycodone and fentanyl.

“I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with that today. I don’t drive a car due to blind spots with my vision and I had a really hard time reading,” said Lovato, adding that the experience left her with “three strokes, a heart attack and my doctors saying I had five to ten minutes.”

Given the physical impact, Lovato said, “I’m so grateful that I’m someone who didn’t have to do a lot of rehabbing; the rehabbing came on the emotional side and therapeutic side internally.”

“What I learned, is that it’s so much more than mental health. My life is now about spiritual growth and how I can help everyone, even people that don’t have mental illness, how we can elevate everyone’s vibrations so we can live in a more positive planet. That’s how I navigate through my day: How are my choices today going to effect those around me in a positive way, and how am I going to be a better version of myself today?”

Expounding on the docuseries, the singer-actor said, “It’s not just about my journey. I touch on so many topics in this documentary, that it’s not just about substances. The third episode isn’t about substances at all. It talks a lot about past traumas that I’ve dealt with and never spoken about. It was too hard and I never had a place, and I also wasn’t ready. Waking up in 2018 after what happened to me made me realize there’s so much work I have to do on myself and so because of that, I was finally able to come out and talk about some of the traumas that I had in my past and my experiences in the industry that are some of the reasons that led up to that breaking point.”

Lovato was asked whether her music was effected by her drug use.

“A lot of artists when they say I make better music when I’m in a dark place or when I’m on something or whatever. I personally don’t relate to that because I feel that the best work I make is when I’m present and when I’m aware of what’s going on in my life; that’s when the truth flows out of me,” she answered.

“As long as I tell that truth, I’m going to make music that resonates with people,” said Lovato.

Lovato said she was drawn to Ratner’s Justin Bieber docuseries Seasons and how honest and raw the singer was. Ratner mentioned that Lovato proved a great subject as “she was willing to go there” in being an open book.

“It touches on accountability. One of the reasons why I’m coming forward with my story is so that I don’t have to live that life again, that I’m holding myself accountable,” Lovato said. “I learned a lot from my past. I was sober for over six years. I learned so much from that journey was coming forward and talking about my story which held me accountable. Every time I share something with the public, it holds me accountable, which is a huge reason as to why I’m doing it.

“You only worry if you have things to hide.”

Watch the trailer to Dancing With the Devil, which just dropped today, below:

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