Demi Lovato Ashamed of Her ‘Privilege’: ‘I Hated that I Shared the Same Skin Color as the People Accused of Committing Heinous Crimes’

Pop star Demi Lovato says she’s ashamed that she’s benefited from “privilege” while working in the entertainment industry, writing in an open letter that she hated sharing “the same skin color as the people accused of committing heinous crimes” against black people in recent months.

“At first, I was self-conscious about speaking out about these issues because I didn’t want anyone to feel like it wasn’t genuine,” said Lovato in an open letter published in Vogue on Tuesday. “I also felt like I wanted to call every person of color that I knew and apologize, which I know isn’t the right thing to do either. Like a lot of people. I didn’t know what to do.”

“All I knew was that I hated that I shared the same skin color as the people accused of committing heinous crimes against Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many, many other Black lives,” said Lovato.

The singer went on to say that she was unable to demonstrate with Black Lives Matter protesters in recent months due to health issues that have put her in the “at risk” category for COVID-19.

“So here I am, sitting in a home that I was able to afford with the money that I have from singing, while people of color are fearing for their lives every day,” the “Sorry, Not Sorry” singer continued. “I realized this was a lightning bolt jolting through my body, where I was reminded of my privilege.”

Due to Lovato’s belief that she has an “overwhelming responsibility to help spread awareness” about injustice, the singer said that she then “began posting things” to social media in an attempt to “educate people.”

“I’ve always taken my advocacy work seriously, but now I’m looking at it with renewed focus. In this particular instance, what motivated me was knowing how much of myself comes from Black culture,” added Lovato. “I grew up listening to Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and other soulful singers, but those two Black women in particular shaped me into the vocalist I am.”

“If you look at my life, everything that I have — money, success, a roof over my head — it’s because of the inspiration those Black women gave me,” she said. “I continue to be constantly inspired by people of color today.”

You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.