Q&A: Demi Lovato

The new album is great! Tell me a little about what you're going for with it.
Well, thank you. I just wanted to make an album I think the parents would enjoy listening to while their kids are playing it.

You were inspired by John Mayer and worked with him some on this album. What was that like?
It was really cool. I was definitely star-struck at first. But he's such a regular, normal, down-to-earth dude that, like, when we started writing, you know, I just kind of forgot who he was and just really appreciated his music the whole time. At first, I was intimidated. I didn't want to say the wrong thing or give him the wrong chord to play or something while we were writing. But he made it really comfortable, and he's really, really nice.

That's great! How was it different from working with the Jonas Brothers, whom you worked with on your first album?
To be honest, it wasn't very different working with John Mayer and Nick Jonas! Nick is almost as intelligent, maybe not as the same level that John Mayer is, but like a very, very intelligent dude when it comes to music and stuff. So I think obviously I know Nick a little more than I do John Mayer, so I was more comfortable. And I worked with the rest of the brothers, too, on the last one, and it was fun. It was a lot of fun. They are just really cool dudes. And instead of writing in a studio, we were sometimes writing on a tour bus at like three in the morning.

Anything off-limits for you? Any kind of music you just can't stand or wouldn't want to explore?
Um, no! Not really. I mean, I don't think I'll ever stop rapping [laughs].

Who is your dream collaboration?
Um, Kelly Clarkson, definitely.

So are you going to shoot for doing something with her in the future?
Yeah, hopefully. That'd be so cool!

Who was your biggest musical inspiration growing up?
Kelly Clarkson! [laughs] Yeah!

Have you always been involved in music your whole life?
Pretty much. Ever since I can remember, I was singing in my bathroom and, you know, around the house. Like, we had a keyboard in the house, but I didn't know how to play so I'd try to learn by ear and stuff. I was just always very musically driven.

Is your family musical?
Yeah. My mom is a singer. She sings -- she used to sing while I was growing up a lot, around the house and stuff.

You have a successful acting career, too. Is acting or music more your passion?
I think I'm a singer that acts. Definitely. I think singing is my main thing.

Camp Rock was kind of your big introduction to the world. Are you looking forward to coming back to that?
Definitely. I think it'll be a lot of fun.

Do you think it's going to be different now? It hasn't been very long, but you're in a totally different place in your career now. Will it be different coming into it now as somebody people recognize on the street?
No, I don't think it'll be that different. I mean, obviously, it'll be different in some parts. But I think for the most part, the only difference is, you know, Camp Rock was my first movie and now I've kind of, you know, I did another movie and I've been working on a set of a TV show for the past however long, so I'll be more used to working than I was back then.

Do you guys have a lot of fun on that set? Is there time to hang out and have fun and do crazy stuff with all these young casts on these movies and shows?
Yeah, totally. I mean, for the most part, we're just a bunch of teenagers and we're getting to live our dreams, so, like, you know, we always have a lot of fun together, every set that I'm on.

So is it still weird to have people recognize you? Or are you kind of getting used to it in the last couple years since you've kind of become a big star?
Um, I don't know. I think it's really cool -- I'm really thankful for everything. It never really changed my life or me or anything like that. I don't know ... I just think it's really cool.

What's the best and worst part of getting to this stage? Is there a worst part?
Yeah, I mean, I wish I had more time at home and more time off or whatever. But you gotta work hard to get to where you want to be. And I think the best part is when it all pays off. You get to, you know, like meet a fan or you get to work with who you've always idolized.

What do you like to do when you're not making music or acting -- in your down time?
I lay in hotel beds and watch movies all day!

It seems like a lot of kid stars -- and especially Disney stars -- reach a point where they have to try to distance themselves from that background, and it seems kind of hard to do. Is that something you're thinking about at all yet?
I think that it's a work in progress. You know, you don't just up and say one day, oh, I don't want to be a child star anymore, or I don't want to be a teen star anymore -- I want to be respected as an adult. You can't do that overnight. I think it's definitely something you either know that you're gonna want to do someday so you start working at it at an early age, or you just don't do it. And for me, I think, because I do want to have a long-lasting career, I'd want my fans to grow with me. So the projects that I take on and the roles that I take, I definitely ask myself, well, are they appropriate for younger audiences, and is it something that is a little more mature but not too much to scare my fans away.