Music

Sweet sixteen

By Tatat Bunnag

Teen star rocks to the top

If you haven't heard of teen pop sensation Demi Lovato yet, you soon will. At only 16 years of age, Demi is well on the way to a glittering career in showbiz.

After acting in the Disney series As the Bell Rings in 2007, Demi shot to fame with her starring role in last year's teen flick, Camp Rock, which also featured heart-throb boy band the Jonas Brothers. More recently, Demi was featured on the Jonas Brothers' concert tour.

Last September, Demi released her debut album, Don't Forget, in the US. Hit singles "La La Land" and "Get Back" helped the album to reach No. 2 in the Billboard 200 charts within the first week of release.

• Did you know •

Demi can play the guitar and the piano.

Don't Forget is now coming out in Thailand, and Student Weekly recently got an exclusive interview with the young superstar. Demi told us about her album, her movies and her life as a top teen idol.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Don't Forget is coming out in Thailand this week. What kind of music can we expect on the album?

Demi: It's mostly rock and pop. It's a bit more rock than people might expect from my role in Camp Rock. The songs are fun, but they also have messages that people can relate to.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Who was your main inspiration for this album?

Demi: Kelly Clarkson. I was totally inspired when she started playing rock. I think that rock is a style that suits me.

I'm known as a pop singer, so I'm not going to try to be a hardcore rock girl. But even though I'm with the Disney Channel, bubblegum pop isn't really my thing.

STUDENT WEEKLY: How did you first get into show business?

Demi: When I was 5, I attended a casting audition for Barney & Friends, but I was turned down because I couldn't read. I tried again when I was 6 - by then I'd learned to read. I passed the audition and worked on the show for two seasons.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Have you had any problems dealing with the pressures of fame at such a young age?

Demi: There's always going to be pressure. But if you have good people around you, it's a lot easier to handle.

STUDENT WEEKLY: How did the kids at your school react when you became a TV star?

Demi: It was pretty bad, actually. I had to leave the public school because I was bullied. Everybody signed a statement on a bathroom wall saying that they all hated me! [Laughs.]

STUDENT WEEKLY: What have you been working on recently?

Demi: I've been working with my best friend, Selena Gomez, on a Disney Channel movie called Princess Protection Program. I've also been making Camp Rock 2.

STUDENT WEEKLY: What was it like, working with the Jonas Brothers?

Demi: It was great. I was new to Disney, and my first big job was playing the romantic interest of one of the biggest heart-throb groups around.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Is it true that you dated Joe Jonas in real life?

Demi: No, Joe and I never dated. We're just good friends. I think it's funny that people try to romantically link me to the Jonas Brothers. If I really wanted to, I would have dated one of them by now!

	glittering (adj): very impressive and successful exclusive (n): an item of news or a story about famous people that is published in only one newspaper or magazine relate to (phrasal v): to be able to understand and have sympathy with something inspiration (n): somebody or something that is the reason why somebody creates or does something casting (n): the process of choosing actors for a play or film season (n): a series of plays, films or television programmes pressures (n): difficulties and feelings of anxiety that are caused by the need to achieve or to behave in a particular way handle (v): to deal with or control a situation, a person, an emotion or an area of work bully (v): to frighten or hurt a weaker person heart-throb (n): a famous man, usually an actor or singer, that a lot of woman find attractive

IDIOM
well on the way: to have nearly achieved something and be going to achieve it soon