Hollywood—Sun. Jan. 26,— The Grammys were back for another year. As expected, there were long-awaited performances, including Lizzo, Ariana Grande, and Usher. One performance I needed to hear was from Demi Lovato. It was announced in early January that Demi was making her performing comeback on the Grammy stage.
Demi Lovato has always been a huge advocate for combating mental illness, body image, and substance abuse. In July of 2018, Lovato suffered from a near-fatal drug overdose. This was her first performance back since that tragic incident.
Lovato performed her new single titled, “Anyone.” In an interview with Apple’s streaming service Beats 1, and host Zane Lowe, Lovato revealed that this song was written and recorded four days before the news broke about her overdose. She explained that you can “hear the cry for help in the original recording.”
When Lovato took to the stage, she was shown in a beautiful white gown, designed by Christian Siriano- winner of Project Runway Season four- because it can symbolize healing and peace. During the performance, she became overwhelmed with emotion and had to pause and start over. The audience applauded and encouraged her to go on. The second time she started her song, she belted out all the pain she felt during that dark time in her life.
One thing that I love about music is how healing and therapeutic it can make you feel. Music is a fantastic outlet to channel your feelings, but as Lovato states in her single, sometimes your outlet only helps you so much. Sometimes you need to take responsibility for yourself and get the help that you need.
I have been a “Lovatic” for many years now, following her at concerts in Pittsburgh and around the country. Of course, I connected to her music, but she was very outspoken about issues that I was experiencing while I was in school. She was very outspoken about bullying and she was open about her story. She then went through treatment for body image issues and mental illness. While going through all these difficult experiences at such a young age, she continued to fight and release powerful music.
Just like Lovato says in her song, we always need someone “Is there anyone?” Always reach out to someone… Anyone.
Story by: Troy Ferguson (tdf5134@psu.edu)
Great article Troy, proud of you! Your second grade teacher.
Thank you Mrs. Moreno! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
What a lovely piece about a truly underrated artist! Love you Troy! 😘 and I’m proud of you getting published!
Thank you Sarah for reading! I agree with you, she is such an underrated artist. Much love.
Well said Troy! Music is a great way to get the message out there! Reach out- that “one” person wi be there to hold you up and not go it alone.
Thank you so much!
It is so important to have an outlet to get you through obstacles. Thank you so much for reading!