Demi Lovato Takes a "Chance"

Cute, brunette actress/singer Demi Lovato rocketed to fame last year when she co-starred with the mega-pop Jonas Bros in the Disney Channel's "Camp Rock". Her hit album further cemented the Texas cutie as more than just a "twinkle" in the tween and young teen starfield.

Now, Demi is nervous and excited about two new developments, well three if you count an upcoming Summer tour! Along with Miley, the Jonas bros and other teen faves, Demi with perform at two events focusing upon Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration! On Monday night on the Disney Channel is the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are The Future" program also including popular Bow Wow. On Tuesday, Demi will sing for "The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration" on ABC also featuring stars like Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Faith Hill. (Check your local listings for times).

We just spoke with Demi about these events PLUS her brand new TV show that premieres in April on the Disney Channel. It's called "Sonny With a Chance" and it's about a teen-aimed comedy sketch show called "So Random" in which Demi plays a writer/comedic actress in competition with another girl on the show and in a love/hate relationship with the snooty and vain drama star of a show shooting on the same lot. The hot guy she loves to hate is played by cute Sterling Knight who played a similar character in "Hannah Montana"

At a hotel near Universal Studios, Demi, looking really cute in a green dress and high black sandal heels, told us about her career, her new show, her music, what fans don't realize about her life and the lowpoint of her otherwise exciting ride in 2008. And, oh yeah...we learned that she is allergic to egg salad!

TeenHollywood: Demi, can you talk about performing Monday?

Demi: Yes, I am very excited. It's a huge honor to be a part of this, especially because it's not just another president, we have Obama! and I am just ecstatic to be performing.

TeenHollywood: Were you ever intimidated meeting other famous people like the Jonas Brothers?

Demi: It's definitely been extremely intimidating to work with people who are as known as the Jonas Brothers. But what I've learned is that the more people that you work with the more you realize they are just people. There have been times where I definitely made a fool of myself and embarrassed myself by getting too starstruck but it has kind of calmed down a little bit, but I definitely don't get sick of it.

TeenHollywood: What will you be singing for the inaugural concert and are you really as nervous and we've heard?

Demi: I will start off with what I'm singing because I don't want to admit how nervous I am yet. I will be singing "Get Back" and "La La Land," which are two songs from my album. They were singles on Disney Channel and music videos. I hope to have a Top-40 single but that won't be until maybe the springtime. I will just be performing those two songs. And how nervous am I? Ridiculously nervous to a point where I don't know what I will be able to do with myself. And I really hope I don't fall.

TeenHollywood: Why did you choose those particular songs?

Demi: They have been singles that I have had on Disney Channel and Radio Disney and things like that. "Get Back" was the first one and so, I guess, the most popular song that my fans know. And "La La Land" is actually a song that kind of ties in to the plotline of the show. So I will be performing that especially since the inauguration will be aired on Disney Channel and I figured it will be best to sing songs that my fans know.

TeenHollywood: It seems that you wrote or co-wrote literally everything on your album. When did you discover there was a songwriter living inside of you?

Demi: Well, when I was younger, when I was trying to make it, I started singing when I was around eight, and around that time my mom came to me with the idea of songwriting. So I always had it in the back of my head but it never came out of me until about the 7th grade when I started home schooling and ever since then\ I've written probably around like 200 -- 300 songs and I don't use all of them, of course, but I just I had my mom to thank for that. And ever since then it's kind of like therapy for me. It is what I do in my spare time and I can't live without it.

TeenHollywood: Are you and your fellow cast members pulling any pranks on set?

Demi: One time, we had a food fight scene in the cafeteria at the commissary and they had these bread rolls and bagels and we were waiting to go into the scene. We had rolls and we were like, "I wonder if they will ever notice if we roll a bread roll across the set?" They did.

TeenHollywood: What do you think of your cute co-star Sterling Knight?

Demi: Sterling is awesome. He's one of my closest friends and we actually argue a lot like our characters do but it's because we have such a great friendship.

TeenHollywood: Is Selena Gomez going to be on the show and would you want her to play a mean or nice girl?

Demi: We kind of played rivals in (the Disney Channel movie) "Princess Protection Program" so I'd like to do a role where we play friends. She will be guest-starring. She shoots with us in a couple of weeks.

TeenHollywood: When is "Princess Protection" on?

Demi: It'll be out this summer. It's going to be Disney Channel's summer movie. It was supposed to air this last winter but they decided it needs more time for more promotion.

TeenHollywood: What have been the most challenging scenes in your new show so far?

Demi: I guess the ones that involve food. Like you have to continue, throughout the day, with egg salad all over you. I broke out with an allergic reaction and that was challenging. It splattered onto me and I got blotchy and everything.

TeenHollywood: Yikes! Is it weird to have a doll of yourself out there?

Demi: Yeah, especially when my friends tell me that they change her clothes. That's a little weird.

TeenHollywood: Are you going on tour?

Demi: I'll be doing a Summer tour.

TeenHollywood: Who would you like to tour with?

Demi: Rooney is a great band. Another band would be Honor Society. There are a lot of cool bands I'd like to work with.

TeenHollywood: What can you still do as a normal teen?

Demi: I do everything (she laughs). I go to the mall. I still do things and people don't recognize me. I don't usually dress up if I know I'm going to a place where people might recognize me. I just dress like a normal person and people don't pay attention. You just don't make eye contact with people.

TeenHollywood: What has this ride you have been on this last year been like?

Demi: It's been definitely tense. It's been the lowest and the highest points of my life.

TeenHollywood: What was the lowest?

Demi: The lowest was being apart from my family on tour. I basically started doing press things in January and I went home for probably a total of a week from then through August. My mom was home with my sisters and I was with my step-dad the entire tour. We built up a friendship that is priceless now so a part of the highs were definitely things that I've been able to do; my album, the success that it had. I wasn't expecting it at all.

TeenHollywood: What don't your fans realize about your life? They must think it's all glamorous and fun.

Demi: It's not just the fans who think that. It's everybody. They think that if you have a nice purse in your hands, your life is fabulous and that's not it. I work for everything that I get and I put up with some sacrifices; being trashed online and some of my closest friends; Selena (Gomez) Miley, everybody, they deal with it too and what they (fans) don't realize is, yes, we have a lot to be thankful for but there is also a lot that people don't see; how much we work, how much we are separated from our families. But when we get to go on vacations with our families and get to see the rewards that our sacrifices have given us, it's just incredible and that's why we continue to do what we love. We love doing it and the end result is so incredible.

TeenHollywood: How do you stay so grounded and not get a "big head"?

Demi: It's definitely my parents, and it's definitely the way that I was raised. I've got a great family. My support system includes my best friends, which now includes my cast, and I went to church every Sunday. My faith is strong, and my parents are incredible. They're there for me. I can talk to them about anything, no matter what. If I were to say, "I quit today." If I were to walk out of this room and say, "I don't want to act. I don't want to do anything anymore." My mom would say, "All right. Let's go back to school." They're 100 percent supportive, but yet they don't push me to do anything. I love them to death. They're amazing.

TeenHollywood: Can you clarify what you like about your career and future goals?

Demi: This is my purpose in life. It's also to use my dream to help people. I want to continue to help girls who feel insecure about their beauty. I know that my purpose in life is to do more with the dreams that I have. To even have people that even like my TV show is incredible. I want to thank everybody that watches and supports me because I get to do everything that I love.

TeenHollywood: Are you dating anybody?

Demi: Not now. I'm single.

TeenHollywood: Do you even have time for love?

Demi: (grins) I could find time if I fell in love.

TeenHollywood: What are you looking for in a guy to date?

Demi: I think the main thing is intelligence... actually, no. I take that back. Humor because humor is key to friendship with me and you fall in love with somebody you're friends with and your friendship will last throughout your life.

TeenHollywood: What was the worst audition you've been on?

Demi: I get really nervous when they ask me to dance. I used to take hip-hop dance but it's not something that you just break out and do or really feel comfortable in so I guess when they ask me to dance or do something crazy, I just react weird.

TeenHollywood: I know you don't get to spend much time at home in Texas... Dallas/Fort Worth area. What do you do when you are there?

Demi: What time I do have there, I cherish it. When I'm there I go to the movies and spend time at Starbucks and at home where I feel comfortable. I go shopping at my favorite malls.

TeenHollywood: Have things changed for you in your home area since fame?

Demi: Yeah, I definitely noticed a change but you can avoid it if you really want to. I think where some people go wrong is they like the special attention and they'll make an effort to be seen but I'm not really one of those people. I still like to go out and be like other (non-star) people.

TeenHollywood: How do you feel about Valentine's Day? It's coming up.

Demi: (laughs) I've hated Valentine's Day (in the past) but what I loved about it is when I realized it's not only about spending the day with people you fall in love with, which I really haven't done yet, but I've spent a Valentine's Day where my whole family celebrated it together and told each other reasons why we love each other and also telling your friends that you love them. It's funny. Last Valentine's Day my sister gave me a Valentine with my face on it! That was definitely a Valentine's Day first.

TeenHollywood: What do you and your celebrity friends talk about when you get together?

Demi: We're teenagers. We talk about what teenagers talk about except I've noticed that we go through so much when we have to work that, in a sense, we've grown up more quickly than your average teenager so we don't just talk about gossip but we don't talk about work. That's one of my rules. All of my friends, none of us talk about work. We want to keep it strictly about having fun. That's our sanctuary, spending time together.

TeenHollywood: What is a typical Demi day off like?

Demi: Sleep till 4 P.M.!

TeenHollywood: Really?

Demi: Definitely. One time I woke up at like 5:30 P.M. I was like "Good Morning". My manager was like "Do you realize the time?"