As pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday afternoon, Demi Lovato said she was already in the studio, where she switched gears to work “on something special” about the “assault on democracy.”
The I Love Me singer was among a chorus of celebrities who condemned the president for inciting a riot over the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
“My heart is broken. It makes me [too] sad to believe how naive I was to think this couldn’t possibly happen, and yet it did. Here we are,” Demi tweeted.
The pop star went on to admonish fans for inquiring about her next album instead of encouraging her to speak up “about what needs to change in this country.”
She also shared a screenshot of a tweet noting how differently police treated Black Lives Matter protesters versus the Trump supporters storming the Capitol.
“THIS IS WHY I POST AS MUCH AS I DO,” she wrote in another tweet. “THIS IS WHY I CARE. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN ANY FUCKING MORE. I’m angry, embarrassed and ashamed.”
The Disney Channel alum then suggested that she plans to release music that speaks to the deadly insurrection on Capitol Hill.
“I’m in the studio working on something special after today’s assault on democracy,” she wrote, adding the hashtag #impeachtrumptonight.
While some commended Demi for leveraging her huge social media platform and fan following for political activism, others expressed some hesitancy over whether a new song was the most effective way to call attention to the moment.
“Who watched what happened today at Capitol Hill and went ‘you know what would help? a new demi lovato song,’” one person tweeted.
“Demi please no,” another fan added. “This isn’t the way to raise awareness. Creating another song won’t help. You can bring awareness, but don’t use this as the opportunity to prompt your own music. Spread awareness. There’s other ways you can help.”
Other skeptics chimed in on Twitter.
But as of late, music is exactly how Demi has chosen to air her political frustrations.
In October, she took a direct shot at Trump in her ballad Commander in Chief, which was inspired by the president’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic and disavowal of the Black Lives Matter movement ahead of the election.
“We’re in a state of crisis, people are dying / While you line your pockets deep / Commander in Chief, how does it feel to still be able to breathe?” she sings in the track’s chorus.
The pop star fielded both praise and criticism for the song but defended her right to express her political opinions in a heated Instagram exchange with a fan.
“You do understand as a celebrity I have a right to political views as well?” Demi wrote at the time. “Or did you forget that we aren’t just around to entertain people for our entire lives ... that we are citizens of the same country and we are humans with opinions as well?”
“I literally don’t care if this ruins my career,” she continued. “This isn’t about that. My career isn’t about that. I made a piece of art that stands for something I believe in. And I’m putting it out even at the risk of losing fans.”