Demi Lovato Talks Mental Illness Struggles, Her Biggest Celeb Inspiration and Collaborating With "Super-Buff" Nick Jonas

21-year-old pop star opened up about her partnership with the Clean and Clear See the Real Me Campaign

By Alyssa Toomey Aug 18, 2014 11:24 PMTags
Demi LovatoMike Coppola/Getty Images

It's no secret that Demi Lovato is an open book.

The 21-year-old inspirational starlet, who has always been forthcoming when it comes to her hardships, took a moment to chat with E! News on Monday, dishing on everything from her recent collaboration with Nick Jonas to her thoughts on mental illness as well as her mission to help fans "feel comfortable in their own skin."

"I've struggled a lot with mental illness and bipolar disorder…Just because I'm a pop star doesn't mean that everything is perfect," the "Heart Attack" singer told E! News while promoting her Clean & Clear See the Real Me campaign, which aims to empower girls across the country and provide a platform to show the world their true selves.

Lovato has long been an advocate for being true to who you are. She recently spoke out about the "shame and silence" surrounding mental illness in the wake of Robin Williams untimely death, calling herself "living proof that someone can live, love and be well with bipolar disorder when they get the education, support and treatment they need."

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"It's a part of who I am," the pop star said when asked how her recent video correlates with her Clean & Clear Campaign. "And you know, whether this campaign is about people having mental illness or not having one at all, I think that everyone can relate. And that covers people who are suffering from mental illnesses or people who are just struggling."

The former Disney darling is a big advocate of finding a solid support system and encourages fans to surround themselves with a strong circle of loved ones.

"It's important to have people around you that are going to be there for support in times like that," she said when asked how she maintains an overwhelmingly positive outlook on life. "I look up to a lot of people around me, my best friends, family."

Another source of inspiration for Lovato? Fellow singer Kelly Clarkson.

"She's just got an incredible voice," Demi gushed after admitting that the American Idol winner is one of her biggest female inspirations. "She's a Southern girl, you can hear it in her voice. She's awesome."

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With regards to her #SeeTheRealMe campaign with Clean & Clear, Lovato said she "was excited to help young people get out of their head and feel comfortable in their own skin"—a sentiment which she's more than happy to reiterate.

"Yeah, not letting anyone tell you that you're not beautiful or not worthy of living a happy and healthy," the singer, who celebrated two years of sobriety in March, added. "The campaign is about letting people see who you really are. So trying to find the confidence in yourself and having the people around you be that confidence."

Lovato also opened up about her upcoming tour, which kicks off September 6 in Baltimore, as well as her new music. The musician is set to appear on Nick Jonas' new album, and clearly, she could not be more excited about their collaboration.

"Nick and I decided to collaborate together because he had a song that he wanted us to work on together," she explained. "And we did and when I heard it I fell in love with the song. I'm so excited for the world to see how incredible he is when he sets his mind to things."

As for Jonas' beefed up appearance? Lovato admitted that her pal is "super-buff" before later sharing what she hopes fans will take away from her tour.

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"I want all of my fans…to leave the concert feeling empowered and inspired to just be the best that they can possible be," she dished.

In the meantime, Lovato is preparing for her upcoming appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards this weekend after being nominated for Best Lyric Video for her tune "Really Don't Care."

The young stunner will go head to head with fellow nominees Austin Mahone, 5 Seconds of Summer, Katy Perry and Adriana Grande for the highly coveted Moonman in the new socially-voted category.

"I'm really really excited to be nominated," Demi gushed. "I'm just going to be grateful for the nomination and see how it goes" 

Good luck, girl!