Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas — the BFF Tour
Between the constant Twitter wars, leaked phone calls, and major shade thrown around in song lyrics, it’s quite obvious that pop stars cannot be friends. Just don’t tell that to Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas.
The 23-year-old BFFs, who met as teenagers while acting and singing their way through the Disney Channel, have weathered career highs and personal l ows together, i ncluding highprofile breakups, living with mental illness and addiction, and transitioning from child stars into mature talent that wants to be taken seriously. For them, that means spending a lot of time together, launching their own label, Safehouse Records, and also embarking on this summer’s co-headlining Future Now tour.
“It’s amazing having one of your best friends on the road with you to be there whenever you do get homesick or you’re having a rough time,” admits Lovato in a recent media conference call. The last time the two toured together was in 2010 when Lovato opened for The Jonas Brothers, though it was cut short after a highly-publicized altercation in which the singer punched one of her backup dancers. Soon thereafter, she entered rehab and also started treatment for bipolar disorder and has come out of on the other side, saying that today her life is a constant schedule of the gym, AA meetings and the studio. “My days now consist of doing things that are going to better myself . .. and I love it.” Jonas admitted to “Billboard” that the experience left him angry and soured the pair’s friendship for a time, but he was compelled to rejoin Lovato on the stage with all the drama far behind them. “We were both at a place where, if we were ever going to do this again, it was right now. The opportunity felt perfect because Demi and I are both on the same page in a lot of ways,” he says, hinting at the origins of the tour’s name. “[It’s] more about our future steps and where we want to take things. It felt like it was more important for us to look forward and set the template for what’s next.” For Lovato that means becoming more of a social figure. She has been adamant in her sup- port of the LGBTQ community, even going so far as to cancel shows in North Carolina, and appearing (Monday night) at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to support Hilary Clinton’s nomination for the presidency. “I want to use my voice to make a difference in the world,” she says. “I learned from a young age, there’s so much more to my voice than just singing.”
And for Jonas the future means stepping away from his band of brothers (an experience that left him “bruised and a little jaded” according to his manager) and becoming a bonafide solo star and possible director. “The acting I’ve done has been amazing, and I’d love to get behind the camera and produce and direct some films. I think I have a real eye for it,” he says in the same conference call.
To that extent, Jonas was very particular about the production level of the Future Now tour. “The focus is less on big gags and production elements because for Demi and I both, that has less importance now. [Rather], it’s about building content that is unique and speaks to what we’ve gone through in our lives, that challenges people’s thinking.”
While they are demure when it comes to spilling details, Lovato says that cobranded tours like Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake’s 2013 Legends of the Summer jaunt gave them some ideas. “I thought it was awesome how they kind of came in and out of each other’s sets so we’re going to do something similar to that,” she says. It makes sense given how closely related their song material has become. Lovato’s last album, 2015’s “Confident” about overcoming struggles could be the afterthought of Jonas’ just-released “Last Year Was Complicated” (largely influenced by his breakup with Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo).
“I am a month older and wiser and I never let him forget it,” Lovato jokes.
In all seriousness, Jonas credits his friend for bringing him to this next stage. “Demi really pushed me to become more vulnerable and encouraged me to open up about some things that happened in my life. That’s why these creative relationships are so important. They shape not only your next steps but also the way in which the world sees you, which is key in making a transition from a youthful start to what hopefully is a long-lasting adult [career].”