At the 2020 Grammy Awards on Sunday night, the hearts and minds of the both performers and spectators were with the family of Kobe Bryant, as the ceremony took place just hours after the world learned that the basketball legend had been killed in a helicopter crash.
But amid the grief and the moving tributes, a different kind of human drama played out on stage that night, one that involved a near death experience and a comeback that almost never happened.
Back in July of 2018 Demi Lovato overdosed on heroin at her home in Los Angeles.
The singer was rushed to a hospital where doctors were able to save her life, but there were concerns that she would never sing again.
Lovato went to rehab and spent several months away from the spotlight.
In the fall of 2019, she returned to social media and began making public appearances again, but it wasn’t until Sunday night’s Grammys that she once again shared her voice with the world.
The song she performed, entitled "Anyone," was a deeply personal ballad which addressed the demons that led to Demi’s relapse after years of sobriety as well as the support system that brought her back to music.
Speaking with Andy Cohen on his radio show this week Lovato revealed that she nearly retired from music after her overdose, a fact that made her return to the stage all the more bittersweet.
"I was really proud of the vocal and I thought, ‘I’ve never had a moment like this, you know, where I’ve sat down at a piano or that I’ve stood next to a piano and sang my heart out," she told Cohen.
Asked about the moment where she appeared to become choked up on stage, Demi said, "I think I was just overwhelmed and overtaken by emotion."
"When I performed the song, I looked at the front row and I saw my mom and my two sisters, and I think seeing them in the front row just overwhelmed me with emotion," Lovato continued.
She added that the song "represented exactly what I was going through, the vulnerability."
Demi says the response from fans has been overwhelming and a powerful reminder of why she returned to performing.
"I’m just really, really grateful that the response has been so awesome," Demi said.
"I think people are able to hear that song for what it is, which is a very emotional plea for anyone else listening."
Asked about the preparations, Lovato told Cohen that she was unsure of her ability to get back on stage until just days before the ceremony.
"We didn’t know what was going to happen," she said.
"We didn’t know how healthy I’d be when I left, it was a scary time in my life for sure."
We’re sure it wasn’t easy for Demi to return to the stage — but we’re equally sure that millions of fans are beyond grateful for her example.