Demi Lovato revealed that their hit single ‘Cool for the Summer’ helped them come out.
Back in 2015, the Holy Fvck singer took the music world by storm when they released the carefree dance-pop record to critical acclaim.
While the song received praise for its electronic production and Lovato’s powerful vocals, ‘Cool for the Summer’ was also lauded as a gay anthem due to its LGBTQ+ inclusive lyrics.
At the time of its release, Lovato described the track as a “representation of where they were headed.”
“I think for so many years, I cared too much about what people thought. Now I can just be who I am. I can be open,” they explained to Billboard.
With ‘Cool for the Summer’ continuing to make waves eight years after its release, Lovato recently opened up to SiriusXM about how the song helped them come out to their parents.
“I came from a Christian background and grew up queer but didn’t tell people until I felt comfortable with it,” they explained.
“It took me until I was 25 to come out to my mom. At the time, I was bisexual, then I realised I was pansexual. It took me a while.”
Lovato went on to say that while they weren’t out to their parents, ‘Cool for the Summer’s’ lyrics made it “very obvious” that they were queer.
“‘Got a taste for the cherry, I just need to take a bite’ lyrics [are] very obvious, but I didn’t feel I was ready,” they added.
“One day, I was about to go to a show, and I was sitting on a plane with my stepdad, who is basically my dad, and I was like, ‘Hey, I need to tell you something, I like girls too.’
“And he was like, ‘Yeah. I know, you have ‘Cool for the Summer’ out.’ And I was like, ‘Oh.'”
As for their mother, the ‘Tell Me You Love Me’ singer revealed that she reacted similarly to their coming out announcement.
“I was getting ready to go on a date with a girl, and I didn’t know if I would be photographed or what would happen, and I really liked this girl, and I was like: ‘I think it’s time to tell my mom in case it becomes serious,'” they said.
“I sat my mom down and said, ‘I need to talk to you. You know, I am about to go on a date with a girl, and I just wanted you to know and hear from me that I like girls too.’ She almost started crying and was like, ‘I just want you to be happy.'”
Lovato’s heartwarming interview comes nearly two months after they released a rock version of ‘Cool for the Summer,’ which is set to be featured on their upcoming album Revamped.
Check out Lovato’s full interview here or below.