The upcoming docuseries, set to premiere on March 23, will give fans an in-depth look at Demi Lovato’s life in the spotlight throughout the past few years, exploring everything from her near-fatal overdose in 2018 to how she overcame her struggles with an inspiring musical comeback and personal awakening.
The new teaser released by YouTube Originals on Wednesday as part of the Television Critics Association press tour, also gives Lovatics an exclusive first listen to the title song, “Dancing With the Devil.”
“I had so much to say over the past two years, wanting to set the record straight about what it was that happened,” Lovato shares in the trailer. “Any time that you suppress a part of yourself, it’s gonna overflow.”
“I had crossed a line that I had never crossed before … I snapped,” she adds. “I had three strokes. I had a heart attack. My doctors said that I had five to 10 more minutes [to live].”
The four-part documentary also features commentary from fellow musicians, including Elton John and Christina Aguilera, as well as pals Sirah and Matthew Scott Montgomery. Lovato’s mother, Dianna De La Garza, stepfather, Eddie de la Garza, and sisters also make appearances in the doc.
Other topics covered in the trailer include Lovato’s heroin use, whirlwind engagement to actor Max Ehrich and subsequent split, and her current sobriety. When asked if she’s “entirely sober now,” the singer simply looks at the camera. The series will also address more recent developments, including the coronavirus pandemic and Lovato’s recent decision to chop off her hair.
Lovato revealed Wednesday during the virtual TCA press tour that she was left with brain damage following her near-fatal overdose and still deals with the aftermath to this day.
“I don’t drive a car because I have blind spots in my vision,” she told reporters. “For a long time, [I] had a really hard time reading. Reading was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was two months later because my vision was so blurry. I dealt with a lot of the repercussions and I think they are kind of still there to remind me of what could happen if I ever get into a dark place again. I’m grateful for those reminders but I’m so grateful that I’m someone who didn’t have to do a lot of rehabbing. The rehabbing came in the emotional side and the therapeutic side internally. I did a lot of work after that, just not physical.”
The 28-year-old singer and activist said she felt it was important for her to “set the record straight” on what happened after being tabloid fodder for the past couple of years. “I wanted to reveal it all for my fans and say, hey, this is who I am and this is where I’m at today. And this is the journey that got me here,” Lovato said matter-of-factly. “If it helps you, then I hope that it can because that was ultimately my purpose in putting this out was to be able to help people who have been on the same path as I have.”
She was candid about what she’s learned most over the course of making the docuseries, saying she came to a realization that “it’s so much more than just mental health.” “My life is now about spiritual growth and how I can help everyone, even people who don’t have mental illnesses, how we can help elevate everyone’s vibrations so that we can live on a more positive planet,” Lovato said. “That’s how I navigate through my day is how are my choices today going to affect those around me in a positive way and how am I going to better myself today?”
In reflecting back on 2018, Lovato was asked if there was anything she would change about that time knowing the journey she’s been on since.
“I wouldn’t change a thing because everything had to happen in order for me to learn the lessons that I learned,” Lovato said honestly. “It was a painful journey. I look back and sometimes I get sad that I had to endure to overcome what I have, but I don’t regret anything. And I’m so proud of the person I am today and I’m so proud that people get to see it in this documentary. And I couldn’t be more grateful to have someone by my side [director Michael D. Ratner] to help me do this.”
ET previously reported that the docuseries — a follow-up to Lovato’s 2017 YouTube documentary, Simply Complicated — would provide “an honest look back at some of the most trying times in Lovato’s life as she unearths her prior traumas and discovers the importance of her physical, emotional, and mental health,” and feature footage from her 2018 Tell Me You Love Me World Tour, which was going on at the time of her overdose.
“It’s been two years since I came face-to-face with the darkest point in my life, and now I’m ready to share my story with the world,” Lovato said in a statement announcing the project last month. “For the first time, you’ll be able to see my chronicle of struggle and ongoing healing from my point of view. I’m grateful that I was able to take this journey to face my past head-on and finally share it with the world.”
