Demi Lovato Talks Mental Health on World Tour, Takes ‘GMA’ Behind the Scenes

The “Heart Attack” singer takes “GMA” behind the scenes of her world tour.

ByABC News
October 23, 2014, 8:24 AM
Demi Lovato performs on stage at United Center, Oct. 14, 2014, in Chicago.
Demi Lovato performs on stage at United Center, Oct. 14, 2014, in Chicago.
Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty Images

— -- Demi Lovato is the singer-songwriter behind some of pop music’s biggest hits, and now she’s taking that hit music on her first world tour.

At one of her stops, in Miami, she gave “Good Morning America” an exclusive, all-access pass behind the scenes.

ABC News’ Jesse Palmer asked Lovato, 22, how she was able to write new music when she was busy on tour.

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“Sometimes, you can play around when you're practicing on the piano,” Lovato replied. “I have a keyboard in my room. But for the most part, it's lyrics, just like, 'OK, I'll write that down.'”

The “Heart Attack” singer also told Palmer that she finds inspiration from “every single corner of the world” in her travels.

She’s showcasing some of those inspirations on tour with her, including motivational speaker Spencer West. West was born with a genetic disorder and had both his legs amputated when he was a child. But he doesn’t limit himself and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.

He takes the stage to tell his story at every tour venue.

Asked what it was like to tour with Lovato, West replied: “It’s absolutely bonkers. I’m so grateful.”

Lovato said West’s story has an effect on her.

“His inspiration not only impacted my life a lot, it also felt like this is a message that young people of today need to hear,” she said. “I hate to say it, but there's a lot of laziness, and outside the Internet there's a whole world that needs help.”

The singer has been outspoken about her struggles with depression, bipolar disorder, an eating disorder and cutting in her pre-teen and teenage years, and she also opened up to “GMA” about how she maintains her mental health while on tour.

“I know what works for me,” she said. “I know that [being] physically in shape and active, and eating healthy and doing the things I need to do while on the road, I know that that keeps me mentally in a great place.”

She also described being able to interact with her fans -- known as “Lovatics” -- as “amazing.

“Sometimes, it can get really heavy. Because I've been so honest and open with my fans, they feel that they can be honest and open with me [in a way] that they can't with, maybe, their family or friends,” she said. “So I hear a lot of deep dark secrets. But for the most part it's really, really fun.”

Backstage, the production is bigger than any of the concert tours Lovato has ever done. That means having “A Thousand Years” singer Christina Perri and musical duo MKTO as her opening acts.

Her wardrobe fits in with the overall theme of the tour, including a bustier and leather garments.

“I mean, I just love that kind of look,” she said.

The tour will take Lovato to venues including in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Turkey and Belgium.

“I've done here and there, but I've never taken a concert all around the world,” she said, “so I'm going to try to go to as many places as I can.”