Demi Lovato: Simon Cowell says I have the X factor

Text and photos: Tammi Tan & Fong Min Shi
Video: Ling Pak Wei

“I didn’t always want to be a role model,” confessed Demi Lovato. The 20-year-old pop sensation, here for her very first Singapore concert, was speaking to local media at a press conference in the Hard Rock Hotel. “I thought to myself, ‘I didn’t sign up for this! I just want to do my own thing’.”

Now, the former Disney ingénue is inspiring young women – and men – all over the world with her triumphant story of overcoming some highly publicised personal issues, including an eating disorder. “It feels great!” she said of her newfound satisfaction in being someone people look up to.

In a roundtable interview with xinmsn in Demi’s dressing room, we asked her what motivated her to suddenly become so open about her issues. “What motivated me to be more open, is knowing that there’s someone out there who’s currently going through the same things I’ve been through before,” she answered. “I want to let everyone know that they can make it out of their struggles alive and stronger, because that’s what happened to me.”

Another reason is her younger half-sister, 11-year-old Madison. “She’s my baby sister, so I just feel like I need to protect her from everything,” she mentioned earlier at the conference. “When I speak up about my issues, my goal is to slowly establish a place where young girls like her can talk about their troubles, instead of struggling in silence.”