Demi Lovato explains why she considered retiring from her music career: “I Need to Be Happy”

Demi Lovato recently shared that she considered retiring from her music career while filming her new documentary, Child Star. The 32-year-old singer and actress revealed her thoughts during an appearance on Penn Badgley’s podcast, Podcrushed.

While discussing the documentary, Lovato opened up about her struggles with her career and self-worth. “One of the reasons why I made this film was, like, ‘Why did we turn out the way that we did? And how does it affect me today? Is it something that I still wanna do? Why did I feel like I needed so much outside validation?’” she explained.

Lovato went on to reveal that during the making of the documentary, she seriously contemplated stepping away from the spotlight. “One of the questions is, like, ‘Do I wanna still do this today?’ You know, going into this film, I was considering retirement because I didn’t know if it fulfilled me anymore.”

However, working on Child Star turned out to be a therapeutic experience for the former Disney star. “For some reason, it was so therapeutic working on this project, realizing that, like, I don’t need success,” she said, to Entertainment Weekly.

After reflecting on her 22-year career in entertainment, Lovato shared that her focus has shifted. “I don’t need success, I need to be happy,” she stated. “And at the end of the day, music does make me happy, and that’s why I wanna continue it. I don’t wanna do it because I feel like I have to. I wanna do it because I love it.”

The Heart Attack singer concluded by explaining that working on the documentary helped her rediscover her passion for music. “And working on this film has helped me kind of fall back in love with music,” she added.

Lovato’s candid reflections highlight her journey of self-discovery and her renewed commitment to making music because it brings her joy, not because of external expectations.