Demi Lovato Explains How Disney Channel Nostalgia ‘Definitely’ Reconnected Her With Selena Gomez & Joe Jonas

Demi Lovato is exhausted, but — looking effortlessly glamorous in a white, furry jacket — you’d never be able to tell as she lists her current favorite women in pop music. “Zara Larsson, of course,” she tells Billboard. “Adela. I’ll always be a huge fan of Lady Gaga. Sabrina [Carpenter]’s great.”

“Oh God, I’m trying to think of who else,” the singer continues. But it’s nearly midnight, and the post-show brain fog is taking over. “Sorry, I just played a concert.”

We’re standing backstage at New York’s Madison Square Garden — which Lovato just headlined for the first time in their career on Friday (April 24) — as the star snaps photos with about a dozen fans during a quick meet-and-greet. All of them have noticeably clean-smelling breath as they exhale incredulously when she first enters the room, thanks to brand partner TheraBreath, which provided samples of Lovato’s favorite mouthwash at the gathering.

“I mean, all the pop girlies are great,” adds the equally fresh-breathed performer, who, just a few years ago, probably never would’ve thought that she’d be considered among those same proverbial Main Pop Girls.

After distinctly switching to rock music on 2022 album Holy Fvck and declaring their pop music dead — literally, Lovato held a funeral — the hitmaker switched right back in October 2025, releasing It’s Not That Deep, a Billboard 200 No. 9 LP of electronic dance-pop bangers. Earlier today, she unveiled the deluxe version, It’s Not That Deep (Unless You Want It to Be), featuring eight brand new songs, including “Low Rise Jeans,” which fans went crazy for when Lovato debuted the sultry track on the opening night of the It’s Not That Deep Tour.

Lovato tells Billboard that they think the new songs “add so much” to the already deeply (no pun intended) meaningful It’s Not That Deep era.

“They are great additions to the body of work that was already created,” the vocalist continues. “I knew I wanted to get back into the studio after I released the album. We started working on these songs — I think ‘Pretty Catatonic’ was the first one that came out of that writing process, and I fell in love with it. It just kind of unfolded from there.”

At MSG, Lovato kept the crowd energized with a mix of It’s Not That Deep standouts and older smashes, including Billboard Hot 100 hits “Heart Attack,” “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Cool For The Summer.” She also had two surprises in store for the New York City crowd, singing “Too Little Too Late” with special guest JoJo before performing live for the first time ever with husband Jutes. (They adorably belted “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, which was the couple’s first-dance song at their wedding.)

At opening night in Orlando, Florida, Lovato treated the crowd to a performance with one of their first major duet partners: Joe Jonas. The duo belted out beloved Camp Rock classic “This Is Me” ahead of Camp Rock 3, which both are executive producing. It’s one of several throwback programs Disney Channel has been green-lighting from Lovato’s era; Selena Gomez, who attended that Orlando show and reunited with her childhood friend backstage, has been involved in an ongoing Wizards of Waverly Place reboot, while Miley Cyrus recently unveiled her Hannah Montana anniversary special.

“I think the age that we’re at is really loving nostalgia right now,” Lovato tells Billboard. “For all the people who are in their 30s and have lived through the Disney era with me, Selena, the Jonas Brothers and Miley, they’re craving it, and it’s fun to go back and relive those moments.”

Lovato says that the public’s hunger for that Disney Channel golden era has also allowed the stars to reconnect with each other and rekindle old friendships. “Oh, definitely,” she adds. “Yeah, I think that’s why it’s all coming together again in this day and age.”