Demi Lovato shares how Disney Channel memories brought her back to Selena Gomez and Joe Jonas

Demi Lovato may be running on empty, but you would never guess it as they stand backstage, effortlessly put together in a white furry jacket, naming some of their favorite women in pop. “Zara Larsson, of course,” they tell Billboard. “Adela. I’ll always be a huge fan of Lady Gaga. Sabrina Carpenter’s great.”

“Oh God, I’m trying to think of who else,” the singer adds, pausing as the late hour starts to catch up with them. It is nearly midnight, and the post show haze is setting in. “Sorry, I just played a concert.”

We are backstage at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where Lovato has just headlined the venue for the first time on Friday, April 24. Between moments, they take time to meet a small group of fans, snapping photos during a quick meet and greet. The room is filled with a noticeably fresh scent as fans react with excitement, thanks to samples provided by brand partner TheraBreath.

“I mean, all the pop girlies are great,” Lovato adds, smiling, a statement that feels especially full circle considering that not long ago, they distanced themselves from the genre altogether.

After leaning fully into rock on their 2022 album Holy Fvck and even symbolically declaring pop music “dead,” Lovato returned to the sound in October 2025 with It’s Not That Deep, a dance pop leaning project that reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200. Earlier in the day, they expanded that era with the deluxe edition It’s Not That Deep (Unless You Want It to Be), adding eight new tracks, including “Low Rise Jeans,” which quickly became a fan favorite after its debut on opening night of the tour.

Lovato says the additional songs bring new depth to the project. “They are great additions to the body of work that was already created,” the vocalist explains. “I knew I wanted to get back into the studio after I released the album. We started working on these songs — I think ‘Pretty Catatonic’ was the first one that came out of that writing process, and I fell in love with it. It just kind of unfolded from there.”

Onstage at Madison Square Garden, Lovato kept the energy high with a mix of newer material and earlier hits, including Billboard Hot 100 favorites “Heart Attack,” “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Cool For The Summer.” The night also included two standout surprises, with Lovato joined by JoJo for “Too Little Too Late,” before sharing a special moment with husband Jutes. The couple performed “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls, the song they chose for their first dance at their wedding.

At the Orlando kickoff show, Lovato also reunited with one of their earliest collaborators, bringing out Joe Jonas for a performance of the Camp Rock favorite “This Is Me,” ahead of the upcoming Camp Rock 3, which both are executive producing. The renewed interest in that era extends beyond them, with Selena Gomez, who attended the Orlando show and reconnected with Lovato backstage, involved in a reboot of Wizards of Waverly Place, while Miley Cyrus has introduced a special celebrating Hannah Montana.

“I think the age that we’re at is really loving nostalgia right now,” Lovato says. “For all the people who are in their 30s and have lived through the Disney era with me, Selena, the Jonas Brothers and Miley, they’re craving it, and it’s fun to go back and relive those moments.”

Lovato adds that the renewed interest has also helped reconnect many of those artists. “Oh, definitely,” they say. “Yeah, I think that’s why it’s all coming together again in this day and age.”