On April 2, Demi Lovato released her newest album, titled, Dancing with The Devil…The Art of Starting Over. After four years since her last album, the singer/actress has undergone three strokes and a heart attack due to her struggles with drug addiction. These life-threatening experiences impacted her life majorly, to say the least, and have greatly changed her musical tone and themes.

Drastically different from her previous work of upbeat pop music, this album exudes pain, growth, independence, and self-reflection. The song, “ICU” is a recollection of the artist’s time spent in the hospital after her drug overdose, while the song, “Melon cake”  is an anthem of pride and strength which explains Lovato beating the eating disorder that monopolized most of her young life. “My Girlfriends are my Boyfriend” is definitely a soon to be a feminist favorite due to Lovato’s empowering message that a girl’s best friends can be a better support system than any romantic relationship or ‘boyfriend’.

Lovato’s “Anyone”, was released early from the album as a 2020 single last year to excite fans about what was to come. Lovato performed this song at the 2020 Grammy Awards, ending in tears, clearly overwhelmed by the support she received during and after the performance. This was just a snippet of Dancing with The Devil‘s vibe as the extremely powerful lyrics were seen as a cry for help from an artist in pain.

The album also features several other artists, like Ariana Grande, Sam Fischer and Saweetie. Noah Cyrus’s feature in “Easy” is another reason to adore the album’s honest take on life’s difficulties, and the two singers’ harmonies can bring one to tears as they make peace with the broken relationships in their lives.

Devoted fans of Lovato have supported her break from the spotlight and are proud to see her stepping up as an advocate for those struggling with mental health, eating disorders, addiction and more. Besides having new music to enjoy, this album brings with it a sign of hope for fans that Lovato, an artist who they have supported for decades, is finally finding a way to heal.