After listening to the first 30 seconds of “Confident,” Demi Lovato’s new album, the only word I can use to describe her new sound is empowered. In general, her new songs are stronger and more powerful than anything written by the artist.

Gone is the scarred and terrified Disney star that was body-shamed and bullied her whole life. I am not a huge fan of Demi Lovato’s music or even of pop music at all, but I’ll give her this one: her new album is fantastic.

Demetria Devonne Lovato started her career as a child actress in 2007 in the movie “Camp Rock.” Soon after she released her first full album “Don’t Forget.” In 2009 she was cast as the lead in the Disney channel show “Sonny With a Chance.” 

In November 2010, the show stopped airing when Demi checked herself into a rehabilitation center for severe depression, bulimia, anorexia and cutting. There she was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder that had been affecting her life since age 11.

She exited rehab a year later in April 2011. Not long after, she quit her TV show and spent her time working on her album “Unbroken.”

I listened to several of Demi’s albums in order to adequately compare and contrast the sound of her music. One of the differences I discovered in the album before “Confident” (“Demi”) were her styles of singing.

In “Confident,” the pop singer sounds empowered and sure of herself, while in her previous albums, I had trouble finding the authority with which she now sings. While her voice is beautiful in all of her albums, in most she lacks the confidence of aptly-named “Confident.” 

Demi’s music has definitely matured over the years. In “Unbroken,” the lyrics were trivial and the music did not showcase her beautifully strong voice. Even on her self-titled album “Demi,” the songs, though upbeat and catchy, lacked depth in emotion other than basic love and sadness.

On “Confident,” the singer’s voice is strong, clear, and full of emotion. Her new lyrics are powerful and inspiring.

The most significant difference I see between this album and its predecessors is that she’s singing for herself. Every song on “Confident” comes from inside her. They come from the scar her father’s death left on her and from the scars on her wrists.

They come from how she overcame those things, how she’s climbed mountains to be comfortable in her body and to love how she is. She doesn’t sing for anyone but herself.

On “Confident,” Demi doesn’t just sing about love and heartbreak like many pop artists do, and even as she herself used to do. On this album, she does sing about her struggles but even more so about overcoming those struggles.

I can get fully behind her new sound and her new empowerment. Whether you call yourself a Demi fan or not, I highly recommend that you listen to “Confident” as soon as you get the chance.