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Lovato: busy times, good times
By JOHN BENSON
In true star fashion, pop singer-actress Demi Lovato had no clue where she was calling from during a recent phone interview.
“I’m not sure; I’m on a tour bus,” Lovato said. “I have no idea, I really don’t.”
It turns out Lovato was in Connecticut, but before you paint the 18-year-old Disney Channel star as a diva, cut her a break. Not only is she on a national tour with the Jonas Brothers, but the Texas native is also the star of Disney’s tween show “Sonny with a Chance” and its successful television movie “Camp Rock.” In fact, it’s the latter role she’s reprising — along with the Jonas Brothers — in the sequel “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” which premieres Sept. 3 on the Disney Channel.
“We had so much fun the first time, I was anxious to see what ‘Camp Rock 2’ would be like and would be about,” Lovato said. “The fans loved the first one and hoped there would be a sequel. There’s a ton of music and ton of dancing in the new movie. It’s more musical-driven, and it’s just really all of us at our peaks trying to do the best we can. Hopefully we nailed it.”
Nailing it is something Lovato has been doing for the better part of the last decade. While early on she was a child actor appearing on “Barney & Friends,” the actress ventured into the music industry with her 2008 debut effort “Don’t Forget.” It was that same year she hit the road with the Jonas Brothers for a screamfest tour. Lovato decided to once again join forces with the Jonas Brothers for another tour, which comes to Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday. Lovato is touring her 2009 sophomore effort, “Here We Go Again,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The singer is thinking about her third studio effort, which she hopes will come out next year. Even though the project has yet to be recorded, Lovato has an idea where she’d like to take it.
“As much as I love the first two albums, I didn’t have too much time to record and write,” Lovato said. “I think the most time I had was on the first album, and I wrote it and recorded it in a month. We definitely have not had that extra time to just play with and expand that, and that’s what I’m doing on this next album. I have a lot of fun with my music, and I’m always looking how to get to the next step, but at the same time I never want to compromise myself for anything. I’m just enjoying making music and having a good time.”