Demi Lovato is back and better than ever. Following her terrifying overdose in July of 2018, Demi’s new album Dancing With The Devil… The Art of Starting Over is an honest and raw look at what happened and an update about where she is in life now. The album is also paired with a four episode documentary on YouTube titled Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil, that brings us even deeper into the traumatic experience through in-depth interviews with Demi, her best friends, team, and family. Both the album and documentary encapsulate extreme vulnerability and realness.
The album brings quite a different sound from Demi Lovato the pop star. It is less about selling records and making radio hits, and more about telling her story and moving on. The first few songs represent the Dancing With The Devil part of the album. The opening song, “Anyone” which she wrote after she was no longer sober, and performed it at last year’s Grammy Awards. This song is a pure cry for help, and it’s heart-breaking to listen to but her vocals are unprecedented. “Dancing With The Devil” is about the night she overdosed and how she almost lost her life. The music video reenacts what happened which again, shows incredible vulnerability.
The second part of the album, The Art of Starting Over, is about Lovato’s life now and how she is moving forward. “The Art of Starting Over” is a great song that brings some good, calm vibes. My personal favorite song is “Met Him Last Night”, which features Ariana Grande. It is a catchy, up-beat song. The two together sound immaculate, and I love how Ariana wrote this for her. “15 Minutes” exposes her ex-fiancé on his desire for fame. The album ends with “Good Place” which is a satisfactory ending about how everything in her life has led her to this moment, a good place in life.
I personally have always thought Demi Lovato was amazingly talented, but never was a huge fan of her type of pop music as it didn’t appeal to me. However, this album shows her growth as an artist and how she is certainly more than just a pop star. I am so proud of her strength and realness through her adversity. I highly recommend listening to this album, as well as watching the documentary!