Dancing with the Devil: the Art of Starting Over (2021)

Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over is the seventh studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on April 2, 2021, by Island Records, and was recorded alongside a docu-series by YouTube Originals, titled Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, which documents her recovery and self-discovery. It follows a reformative period in the singer's life and career, after being hospitalized for a drug overdose in 2018. The lyrics of the album emphasize on Lovato's journey through her hurdles and self-empowerment.

Produced by a variety of collaborators, such as Mitch Allan, Lauren Aquilina, Tommy Brown, Oak Felder, Jussifer, Matthew Koma and Pop & Oak, the album is primarily a pop record with elements of pop rock, country pop, folk-pop, and R&B. Multiple versions of the album were made available to pre-order, including alternate artworks, bundles and a Target-exclusive edition with bonus tracks. Lovato released two additional versions of the album, with a deluxe version and an expanded edition that was released digitally including three previously released bonus tracks. It was also delayed in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over was supported by the release of four singles: "Anyone", "What Other People Say", "Dancing with the Devil" and "Met Him Last Night". Noah Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Sam Fischer and Saweetie are featured on the album as vocal guests, while collaborations with Sam Smith and Marshmello are included on the digital expanded edition. The album has charted within the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Music Artist category.

Background and development

Following the release of Lovato's previous studio album Tell Me You Love Me (2017), she took a hiatus from her career following her 2018 hospitalization and subsequent treatment for a drug overdose. In May 2019, Lovato revealed she had signed with a new manager, Scooter Braun, and confirmed to Teen Vogue the following November that new music was coming, stating "I didn't say when — now I'm just teasing you. It's important to remember that I am so cautious this time around of jumping back into things. I've really decided to take my time with things. When the time is right, I will put it out there. I am dying to release new music ... but everything in due time." Lovato made her first musical appearance since her hiatus with a performance of single "Anyone" at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in January 2020. Throughout 2020, Lovato released further stand-alone solo singles "I Love Me" and "Still Have Me" and collaborations "I'm Ready" with Sam Smith and "OK Not to Be OK" with Marshmello. Lovato also released "Commander in Chief" as a political ballad ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Planned for release in 2020, Lovato's seventh studio album was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lovato's first music release of 2021 was the single "What Other People Say" in collaboration with Australian singer Sam Fischer. The release and title of Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over was subsequently announced on March 16, 2021. Lovato explained that the original title was just The Art of Starting Over, but she then decided to give it a double title to reflect the importance of "the darker opening songs" on the album. During a livestream on the audio-chat app Clubhouse, Lovato explained about the album, "If you listen to it track by track, if you follow the track listing, it's kind of actually like the non-official soundtrack to the documentary. Because it really does follow my life over the past couple of years. When we went through the track listing and kind of mapped out how it kind of coincided with my life's story, it made sense to add the more emotional stuff in the beginning and then transition into 'The Art of Starting Over'". Lovato also revealed three collaborations with female artists on the album: Noah Cyrus, Ariana Grande and Saweetie.

A promotional website was launched for the album, where its artwork and pre-save link was released on March 16, 2021. The album serves as a companion piece to Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, a YouTube Originals docu series, which began release on March 23, 2021. Both projects focus on Lovato's near fatal 2018 overdose for the first time, while also exploring her life and path to healing in the time since.

Singles

The album was supported by four singles. The lead single from the album, "Anyone", was released on January 26, 2020. The second single, "What Other People Say" with Sam Fischer, was released on February 4, 2021, and the third single, "Dancing with the Devil" was released on March 26, 2021. "Met Him Last Night" featuring Ariana Grande was serviced to US contemporary hit radio in the United States on April 13, 2021, as the album's fourth and last single.