On Demi Lovato's 23rd birthday, we've decided to take a look back at the superstar's rise to fame which started alongside Barney the very purple Dinosaur in hit children's show Barney & Friends.

From there she discovered her love of music at the age of seven when she started to play piano, and at ten years old she moved on to the guitar, at which time she decided to hone her acting and dancing skills with classes.

Though she would move back into children's television, she first played a small part in Prison Break alongside some of the toughest-looking men on the small screen, but truly gained a huge amount of fans when she stepped into the shoes of Charlotte Adams on Disney's short series As The Bell Rings.

Her fanbase was only going to grow when she auditioned for the same channel's television film Camp Rock and series Sonny with a Chance, securing both parts after impressing channel bosses during her auditions.

8.9 million people watched the premiere of the Camp Rock movie in America alone and as we all discovered what talent lay within Demi, she planned to take on her first tour prior to the release of her debut album.
Credit: Cosmo
Credit: Cosmo

'Don't Forget' had a September 2008 release and reached number two on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 89,000 and eventually reaching 500,000, certifying it as Gold status.

A charity single came in 2009 alongside close friends Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers where all the proceeds were sent to environmental charities, and this was the year that we were first to see Sonny Munroe become the Disney Channel's newest addition.

When Sonny with a Chance premiered, Demi drew great acting reviews and was cast once more for another channel movie - the third highest-rated Disney Channel Original Movie - Princess Protection Program.

A second album came in the form of 'Here We Go Again', and it managed to surpass its predecessor becoming her first number one record in America with first week sales of 108,000, and she went on to tour a total of 40 cities with opening acts including KSM, Jordan Pruitt and David Archuleta, the latter of which won the Choice Music Tour in 2009 at the Teen Choice Awards with Demi.

Grey's Anatomy hired her for a guest-star during their sixth season where she played teenage schizophrenic patient Hayley and she gained further praise for the versatility attempted in portraying a character like none she'd acted as before.

Credit: Cosmo
Credit: Cosmo

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam premiered in 2010 and Demi reprised her role as Mitchie Torres, fast becoming the number one cable television movie of the year by number of viewers - 8 million.

Demi's more personal struggles were acknowledged from 2010 onwards when she entered a treatment facility to confront 'physical and emotional issues', but admitting that she'd suffered from self-harm, self-medicating and bulimia meant that she could come to the aid of fans all over the world who were dealing with similar issues.

The aptly titled 'Unbroken' - Demi's third album - was released in September of 2011 and lead single 'Skyscraper' still to this day receives acclaim for its powerful message of confidence and self-worth.

MTV aired a new documentary special about Lovato's time in rehab and recovery called Stay Strong in March 2012, and as she continued to rise up through the ranks and become a household name almost everywhere, she was hired as a judge for the second season of The X Factor USA, with a reported salary of $1 million which was allegedly doubled when she returned for season three.

Electropop 2013 single 'Heart Attack' climbed to number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, claiming 215,000 first week sales, and becoming the third-highest opening-week sales figure of the year. Peaking at number ten it became Demi's third top ten in the USA, and attained success internationally in the UK, Australia and Spain.

Demi Lovato spoke about self-harming
Demi Lovato spoke about self-harming

The best-selling debut week of her career came with new album 'Demi' on May 10, 2013, selling 110,000 copies in America alone and receiving great reviews whilst appearing in the top ten in international territories including the UK and New Zealand.

A book titled Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year was released on November 19, 2013, and fans lapped it up.

Acting came back into the forefront when Demi signed on to appear in at least six episodes of Glee with fellow newcomer Adam Lambert, and later in the year she announced she'd tour North America and Canada for the Neon Lights Tour.

Today she's promoting her brand new single 'Cool For The Summer', an infectious pop tune that should see her rise in the charts across the world.

Happy Birthday, Demi!


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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