Demi Lovato reveals how gay anthem Cool For the Summer helped her come out to her parents
Demi Lovato and Raven-Symone appeared together on Disney’s Sonny with a Chance. (Getty Images)
Demi Lovato has opened up about the way she came out to her parents.
It’s difficult to believe that it’s been eight years since Lovato sent the LGBTQ+ community into a tailspin with her sexually explorative hit “Cool for the Summer”. Since then, the pop star has been on a journey of discovery with her gender identity and sexuality, recently sharing the news that she had reclaimed she/her pronouns after coming out as non-binary in 2021.
But although Lovato is now an unapologetic LGBTQ+ advocate, she wasn’t always so open about her identity.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM, the “Heart Attack” hit-maker reflected upon her coming out conversation with her mother and stepdad.
“I came from a Christian background and grew up queer but didn’t tell people until I felt comfortable with it,” she said.
“It took me until I was 25 to come out to my mom. At the time, I was bisexual, then I realised I was pansexual. It took me a while.
“It was kind of funny because I released ‘Cool for the Summer’ before I came out to my parents,” she continued. “[The] ‘got a test for the cherry/I just need to take a bite’ lyrics [are] very obvious but I didn’t feel I was ready.
“One day I was about to go to a show, and I was sitting on a plane with my stepdad, who is basically my dad, and I was like: ‘Hey, I need to tell you something, I like girls too’. And he was like, ‘Yeah. I know, you have “Cool for the Summer” out’, and I was like: ‘Oh’.”
According to Lovato, her mother had a similar reaction.
“I was getting ready to go on a date with a girl and I didn’t know if I would be photographed or what would happen and I really liked this girl and I was like: ‘I think it’s time to tell my mom in case it becomes serious’,” she recalled.
“I sat my mom down and said: ‘I need to talk to you. You know, I am about to go on a date with a girl and I just wanted you to know and hear from me that I like girls too’. She almost started crying and was like, ‘I just want you to be happy’.”
The former Disney Channel star recalled how valuable it was to have a positive coming out experience, explaining that her mother’s response made her feel “so valuable and so appreciated”, especially as “there are so many parents that don’t respond that way”.
For Lovato, providing “that energy, community and safe space” to her young LGBTQ+ fans, who may not be accepted in their own homes, is particularly important. It’s part of the reason she regularly posts queer content on her social media platforms, so those fans can feel “appreciated and valued”.
After dropping her political pro-choice rock anthem “Swine” last month, Lovato is now gearing up for the release of her next studio album, Revamped, in September. It will feature her biggest hits, including “Cool for the Summer”, reimagined as rock songs.
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