Demi Lovato says she dated older men in the past due to ‘daddy issues’

Demi Lovato is reflecting on her past relationships, revealing that she dated certain men because she struggled with “daddy issues.”

The 31-year-old singer discussed her dating history during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show” on Sept. 11.

“I think what I went through is I had a phase of dating older men and dating older guys because of my daddy issues, obviously,” she told host Howard Stern in a YouTube clip from the episode.

Lovato, who came out as nonbinary in 2021 and uses she/her and they/them pronouns, has opened up in recent years about her sexuality and her previous relationships.

In 2017, she released her sixth studio album, “Tell Me You Love Me,” which included a song called “Daddy Issues.”

During the chorus, she sings, “Lucky for you/ I got all these daddy issues/ What can I do?/ I’m going crazy when I’m with you/ Forget all the therapy that I’ve been through.”

At the time, she spoke to Rolling Stone about the track and its meaning.

“I grew up having a strange relationship with my birth father,” she explained. “It caused relationship issues and certain behaviors in the future.”

She added, “I learned the reasoning behind those behaviors was because of my dad.”

Her latest album, “Holy Fvck” includes a roaring track called “29.” Throughout the song, she recalls dating someone who was 29 when she was 17.

“Finally 29/ Funny, just like you were at the time/ Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy/ But was it yours or was it mine? 17, 29” she belts.

During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in August 2022, Lovato shared that she came up with the idea for the song after her 29th birthday.

“When I turned 29, I remember I was on vacation and I just realized, ‘I’m 29 now,’ and it put things into perspective. I’m very careful with the way that I answer these questions because I feel like the song says it all,” she said, without confirming who she was referencing in “29.”

Currently, the “Confident” singer is dating musician and songwriter Jordan Lutes, who uses the stage name Jutes.

The couple became Instagram official in August 2022 when he penned a sweet birthday message for Lovato.

“I’m so proud of u for not only surviving everything you’ve been through but coming out on top and becoming ur healthiest happiest sweetest self,” he wrote in the caption, in part, beside a slideshow of photos and videos.

He continued, “Ur more than ur music, more than ur voice, more than a beautiful face. ur everything. i love u.”

The pair made their first red carpet appearance together at a pre-Grammy party in February.

Lovato gushed about their connection during her chat with Stern.

After speaking about pursuing older men in the past, she said, “And now I’m at a place where I’m, like, in an amazing relationship and my boyfriend is a year older than me.”

She shared that the two met when she booked a session in a recording studio and he stopped by to work with her on some songs. Lovato recalled being “immediately attracted to him.” They became friends and have been together for about a year and a half, she confirmed.

“We’re growing together, and it feels so healthy,” she said.

Lovato complimented her beau for having a great personality and said the two have talked about getting married one day.

“I think if you can find someone that makes you feel safe, that you’re so attracted to (and) that you laugh with constantly that’s the formula of, like, a really good relationship,” she said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com