Demi Lovato has no fear of opening up about mental health—especially when it comes to her own struggle with being bipolar—but she doesn't want it to define her.
The 24-year-old singer sat down with radio host Elvin Duran on iHeartRadio's Label Defiers with ZICO Coconut Water earlier this week during which she opened up about stripping herself free from social constructs and labels.
For example, though she revealed her bipolar diagnosis in 2011 and has openly spoken out about it since then, she doesn't believe that's what makes her who she is.
"I think when people refer to me as being bipolar, it's something that is true—I am bipolar—but I don't like people to use it as a label," she told Duran. "It's something that I have, it's not who I am."
Rather, she said, "I think Demi Lovato, activist, is something that I would really be proud of."
She continued, "I think it's important to speak up about the things that you believe in because your voice will be heard no matter what position you're in. And I just happen to be in a position where more people will hear my voice than they would have 10, 15 years ago. I use my voice to do more than just sing and I use it to speak up about mental health because that's something I'm very passionate about."
In fact, she said, "I'd say the whole world knows the real me because there's nothing that I hide."
However, there are many celebrities who choose to battle their inner struggles in silence. For example, when asked about Linkin Park's Chester Bennington—who recently committed suicide—Lovato hopes the tragedy sparks a bigger conversation and helps prevent future deaths.
"I feel terrible for his friends and family," she said. "But I know that maybe this will raise the topic into conversation around mental illness and mental health and help somebody."
Listen to her full interview here.