Demi Lovato Says Being Openly Queer Has Allowed Her ‘to Live Authentically’

Demi Lovato is opening up about her queer identity.

The “Skyscraper” singer, 33, recently spoke with PAPER magazine and chatted about her connection to queer spaces. The Grammy nominee identifies as pansexual. 

She acknowledged in the cover story that throughout her career she’s been performing in queer spaces. “My connection with queer club culture is… I love going out with my friends,” she said. “I love dancing, and I love doing that in queer spaces because it feels safe to me.”

“If I were to go to a straight club, it just doesn’t feel as safe. I feel there’s more danger,” Lovato continued. “I feel like when I go to a queer space, I know that I’m with my friends. I’m know I’ll have a great time.” 

“I just have always felt safer in queer spaces, and I think that’s because queer people have a way of living so authentically that it makes me feel like I can live authentically,” she added. 

“Being queer myself, having people around me that make me feel safe to be myself is something I always longed for as a kid in Texas,” she said.

The singer was born in Albuquerque, N.M. and moved to Dallas when she was 2 years old.

“As a queer kid in Texas, I had a lot of religious shame around coming out, and I think that’s because growing up in the Bible belt … or maybe Texas isn’t in the Bible belt, but you know what I mean. Same thing,” she said. “So now I get to go out, and I get to live authentically and be myself, and it feels amazing.” 

“I’m celebrating with my music, too, you know? I went to a queer party and played ‘Kiss,’ ” she said, before noting that she wanted to share it with her fans first. “It went really great. I’m so happy with how everyone loved it.”

Lovato has been public with her queer identity for years. In October 2020, she revealed that she knew she was queer while watching the iconic make-out scene between Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions.

In May 2021, the singer came out as non-binary. That same month, she revealed that she’s attracted to “anything really” and confirmed that she’s pansexual.

At the time, she said she was “super closeted off” because of her religious upbringing, but is now “proud” to be a part of the LGBTQ community.

The following year, she reintroduced she/her pronouns in addition to they/them pronouns. In June 2023, she explained to GQ Hype Spain that she made that decision because she had “constantly had to educate people and explain why I identified with those pronouns.” 

“It was absolutely exhausting,” Lovato said in the interview, translated from Spanish to English. “I just got tired. But for that very reason I know that it is important to continue spreading the word.”

In the years since, she has gotten married fellow musician, Jutes. She recently revealed that because their relationship, her upcoming album, It’s Not That Deep, is lighter and “a reflection of where [she’s] at personally.”

“I’m in a place in my life where my energy feels very light. I just got married,” she told PAPER. “The tone of my life is lighter. I wanted a project that reflected that.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

It’s Not That Deep will be available Oct. 24