An activist, a pop princess, a child star, a Disney darling, Demi Lovato has been it all. With Revamped, the 31-year-old ushers in a new era as a bonafide rock star, transforming 10 of her greatest hits into brash anthems. Lovato re-recorded her old music after holding a “funeral” for her pop career last year before releasing her debut punk album, Holy Fvck.
She has never been tied to any particular musical trend over the years. One thing remains constant, that unmistakable voice: sharp, powerful, unexpectedly versatile, but not effortless – because it’s hard to sing like her. Demi Lovato turns 32 today, so here’s the best of her.
10. Something That We’re Not
A throwback to sassy early-’00s bubblegum pop, this album cut from 2013’s Demi is aimed at a hookup who wants to get a little too close. At the end of the bridge, just before the vocal fireworks begin, Demi delivers an exasperated “not gonna happen, dude.”
9. Remember December
A new level of stakes was raised with Demi’s second album, Here We Go Again, released in 2009. With a frenetic tempo, Remember December is pop-punk via electroclash. Having an anxious yelp at the top of her lungs has never sounded better – in another life, Lovato would lead a band such as Paramore or Metric full-time.
8. Heart Attack
Heart Attack, a track so chaotic it threatens to fall apart with every beat shift, can only be pulled off by Demi Lovato’s voice. During the chorus, she leaps into her upper register mid-phrase, as if that’s a move singers do all the time (it’s not!). Heart Attack marked Lovato’s final step away from teen pop’s shadow: “But you make me wanna act like a girl/ Paint my nails and wear perfume for you/ Make me so nervous that I can’t hold your hand,” she sings, refusing to fit in.
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7. Daddy Issues
Okay, Daddy Issues is not the kind of song anyone expected from Demi Lovato. It takes Lovato’s strained relationship with her deceased biological father and spins it into a tongue-in-cheek come-on for an older male lover. “Lucky for you/ I got all these daddy issues.” The first time you hear it, it seems ridiculous, but that’s the point! “Forget all the therapy that I’ve been through,” sings Lovato, because there’s no better medicine than laughing at your problems. There has never been a more fun arena-synth-pop anthem than Daddy Issues.
6. Don’t Forget
The title track to Lovato’s 2008 debut album, Don’t Forget, is a teen pop ballad with a crucial life lesson: Don’t forget your mistakes. The song begins with Lovato narrating a story about a broken relationship over a set of clean guitars, before exploding into distorted power-pop harmonies. They’re gone just as soon as they appeared, a faded memory of joy. Don’t Forget was Lovato’s first sign of maturity beyond her years, co-written with the Jonas Brothers. Disney has never had a voice like hers.
5. Skyscraper
At the age of 18, Lovato checked into rehab for emotional and physical issues. After entering treatment, she recorded Skyscraper again but ultimately released the original version. While her voice is frayed, Lovato delivers a performance of heroic physical and emotional strength culminating in a glass-shattering high G note.
Lovato’s Skyscraper embodies the radical honesty that has made her a role model for her fans. Unbroken was one of her most successful albums, and it marked the beginning of her second act. Despite singing many ballads Demi never attempted to top Skyscraper.
4. Sorry Not Sorry
Sorry Not Sorry is a crossover hit with a Billboard Hot 100 ranking of No. 6, 309 million YouTube views, and endorsement by Jay-Z. Lovato now has new opportunities, including a co-headlining tour with DJ Khaled, a pairing that wouldn’t have made sense even 12 months ago. Demi belts the catchiest chorus of her career in a register so high, that no mere mortal can sing along. Over hip-hop drums and an unusual gospel chord progression, she belts the catchiest chorus of her career. Yes, it’s a kiss-off to the haters, but it’s also one of the happiest recordings she’s ever made.
3. Confident
Demi Lovato begins La La Land, her debut album’s first song, with “I’m confident, but I’ve still got my moments”. It’s seven years later that she comes full circle with Confident – no longer a teenager, but a one-woman army. “What’s wrong with being confident? Lovato asks over and over, turning a question into a mantra. As a trained martial artist, Demi could fight in the UFC one day. Her exit song is already known to you.
2. Cool For The Summer
Max Martin and Ali Payami’s Cool For the Summer may not have been the official Song of the Summer of 2015, but it should have been: With chilly piano riffs and hair-metal guitars, Max Martin and Ali Payami capture the exact aural sensation of ice melting on a hot day. A neon-pink paradise is the backdrop of Lovato’s best music video to date.
Could this be the best song Katy Perry ever wrote? It’s commanding, seductive, and a little bi-curious. Nevertheless, unlike I Kissed a Girl, Lovato wasn’t going through a phase: Cool For the Summer is forever.
1. Give Your Heart A Break
As one of the songwriters behind ’80s pop classics like Like a Virgin, True Colors, Eternal Flame, and countless others, Billy Steinberg co-wrote and produced Give Your Heart a Break. From its Brill Building melodies to the sparkling piano, strings, and gated-reverb drums, Give Your Heart a Break moves with elegance. The singer refuses to smooth out the cracks in her voice as she sings against the grain of the song.
With Demi’s voice, it’s more than a love song – it’s a story of a woman who has faced the worst and persevered. It cemented her place as a Top 40 fixture in 2012 as her biggest radio hit to date. Although Demi Lovato is a thoroughly modern pop star, Give Your Heart a Break remains timeless.
