The salient points

• When Demi Lovato was seven (years old, not feet tall) she starred in two seasons of terrifying dinosaur drama Barney & Friends, alongside Selena Gomez.


• In 2007, Lovato started working for the Disney corporation, who know a thing or two about finding quite famous future pop stars.


• Her first album, 'Don't Forget', was written and produced by The Jonas Brothers, with whom Lovato starred in the seminal (not very good) film Camp Rock.


• Her second album, 'Here We Go Again' reached Number One in America, which is good, and everyone was feeling really positive about everything.


• Following a brief 'break', Lovato re-emerged in 2011 with 'Skyscraper', ie one of those ballads that makes you cry with the sheer wonderful earnestness of it all.


• Her third album, 'Unbroken' featured collaborations with Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Ryan Tedder and, er, Jason Derulo. It was two thirds brilliant.


• In 2012, after Simon Cowell splurged the entire US X Factor judges' budget on Britney Spears, he had some Nectar points and a tin of biscuits left over for someone else and Demi jumped at the opportunity.

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