Demi Lovato, the 33‑year‑old pop star and Grammy nominee, is opening up about what it truly means to embrace her queer identity, both publicly and personally. In a recent interview with PAPER magazine, Lovato shared candid reflections about her relationship with queer spaces, her religious upbringing, and the creative energy fueling her upcoming album It’s Not That Deep. For Lovato, being openly queer isn’t just about identity: it’s about safety, authenticity, and finally feeling at home in her own skin.
Finding Freedom in Queer Spaces
Lovato, who identifies as pansexual and uses she/her pronouns in addition to they/them, spoke at length about how queer club culture has offered a sanctuary.
“My connection with queer club culture is … I love going out with my friends,” she told PAPER. “I love dancing, and I love doing that in queer spaces because it feels safe to me.”
The singer contrasted these affirming environments with what she describes as the discomfort of straight‑club settings.
“If I were to go to a straight club, it just doesn’t feel as safe. I feel there’s more danger,” she said. “I feel like when I go to a queer space, I know that I’m with my friends. I know I’ll have a great time.”
For Lovato, queer spaces do more than entertain, they provide a mirror in which she can live honestly.
“I just have always felt safer in queer spaces, and I think that’s because queer people have a way of living so authentically that it makes me feel like I can live authentically,” she added.
From Texas Shame to Self‑Acceptance
Lovato grew up in Dallas, Texas, surrounded by religious culture, and the early years of her life were marked by shame and self‑suppression.
“Being queer myself, having people around me that make me feel safe to be myself is something I always longed for as a kid in Texas,” she said.
Reflecting on her religious upbringing, Lovato explained that coming out often felt fraught with judgment.
“As a queer kid in Texas, I had a lot of religious shame around coming out, and I think that’s because growing up in the Bible belt … or maybe Texas isn’t in the Bible belt, but you know what I mean. Same thing,” she said. “So now I get to go out, and I get to live authentically and be myself, and it feels amazing.”
Turning Personal Joy into Creative Light
Lovato isn’t just finding joy in identity and community, she’s channeling that energy into her music. Her upcoming album, It’s Not That Deep, due out Oct. 24, reflects a lighter, more hopeful chapter in her life.
“I’m in a place in my life where my energy feels very light. I just got married,” she said. “The tone of my life is lighter. I wanted a project that reflected that.”
Even in celebration, music remains a mode of connection for her. One moment she described: playing her song “Kiss” at a queer party.
“I went to a queer party and played ‘Kiss,’” she said. “It went really great. I’m so happy with how everyone loved it.”
Identity, Pronouns, and Fluidity
Over the past few years, Lovato has opened up more fully about her sexual orientation and gender identity. She came out as nonbinary in 2021 and later reintroduced she/her pronouns along with they/them, citing the toll it takes to constantly explain one’s identity.
She’s spoken publicly about how exhausting it can be to educate others, maintaining visibility isn’t always easy. But it’s something she sees as essential.
“The queer label is fine because to me it’s just this blanket statement of being different. That’s what I can commit to. I feel like I’m too fluid to commit to a label.”
Living Authentically: A New Chapter
There’s poignancy in Lovato’s current moment: she’s married to fellow musician Jutes, feeling more settled, creatively inspired, and emotionally present than in past seasons of her life. In this chapter, her identity isn’t something she’s managing separately—it’s folded into her work and her world.
“Being queer myself, having people around me that make me feel safe to be myself is something I always longed for as a kid in Texas,” she said.
Lovato’s story is one of evolving self‑acceptance. It’s about coming into your truth, even when outside pressure, shame or fear make it difficult. It’s about choosing spaces, both physical and social, where you can breathe.
It’s Not That Deep drops Oct. 24, and with it comes what Lovato calls a more authentic energy.
