Demi Lovato 'Chased' Child Stardom Because of 'Daddy Issues' and to 'Get the Love from My Birth Dad That I Didn't Have'

• Demi Lovato revealed why she initially entered the entertainment business as a teen in her The Hollywood Reporter cover story
• The former child star credited her late absentee father as part of the reason
• They said they "always chased success" because they knew it "would make him proud of me"

Demi Lovato is opening up about their relationship with their late father.

In a new cover story from The Hollywood Reporter published on Aug. 14, the 31-year-old Disney Channel alum (who uses she/they pronouns) looked back surviving childhood fame ahead of the release of her forthcoming Child Star Hulu documentary.

"I think part of me always thought that if I made it in the industry that I would get the love from my birth dad that I didn’t have," the "Confident" singer told THR. "And he was troubled, and I think I always chased success because I knew it would put me in his line of sight again and it would make him proud of me."

Lovato added: "But now that I’ve dealt with those daddy issues, I don’t need the industry as much as I once did, and I’m proud of myself for getting here."

Since graduating from her Disney days, Lovato — who released the song "Daddy Issues" in 2017 — has been transparent about their strained relationship with their father, Patrick Lovato, who died of cancer in 2013 after years of struggling with addiction.

Two years after Patrick died, the Camp Rock star talked about how difficult it was to cope with the loss in a video interview on her YouTube channel, saying, "I was very conflicted when he passed because he was abusive."

"He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person," Lovato continued in the emotional black-and-white YouTube clip. "And he wanted to have his family, and when my mom married my stepdad, he still had this huge heart where he would say, 'I’m so glad that he's taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do.'"

Lovato's video at the time also explained why they wrote the 2015 song "Father" to reconcile their conflicting emotions about their dad and his absence due to "mental illness": "To know that it wasn’t really his fault really was saddening to me. I wanted to write about it. I wanted to process it, and 'Father' really helped me do that."

In 2021, Lovato mourned her late father again on Father's Day, explaining on her Instagram Stories that the holiday wasn't an easy one to acknowledge. "Trying not to wake up sad ... Trying to stay positive. Today is always so difficult," the documentary director wrote on one slide.

"This is for anyone else who's lost a father, can't be with their dad, didn't know their dad, or anyone who has a tough relationship with their dad," they continued. "I spent many years on this holiday wondering whether or not I should call him. Take it from me, if you can, make the call."

The Grammy-nominated musician went on to say that some days she regretted not calling her father, "but other days I'm proud of myself for holding my boundary because I was doing what was best for me and my mental health."

"It's complicated, and I wish it were different but this made me into the person I am today," Lovato concluded. "Anyway my heart goes out to the people still holding their boundaries as well ❤️."

In 2018, Lovato's mother Dianna De La Garza opened up to PEOPLE about her ex-husband, whom she believed lived undiagnosed with bipolar disorder.

“Pat had a good heart. He really did. He loved his family; it’s just that he had mental health issues that were never addressed. And I think he covered up those issues with drugs and alcohol,” De La Garza told PEOPLE at the time. “I always encouraged my girls to have a relationship with him… as long as he was responsible and wasn’t putting them in any danger. I wanted them to love him. They talked to him on the phone and tried to have a relationship with him, until he passed away.”