At the ripe old age of 21, Demi Lovato has transformed herself from a Disney princess into a mature and focused career woman with hit singles, successful albums and a role as the youngest judge and mentor to ever appear on "The X-Factor."
Gracing the December/January cover issue of Latina magazine as a blonde, Lovato, now with her hair dyed a bright shade of blue for the "X-Factor" live shows, opened up about her work in Kenya over the summer, guest spot on "Glee" as Naya Rivera's love interest and whether or not (and when!) marriage and babies are in her future.
At one point during her time in Kenya while working with international charity organization Free the Children, a little boy named Ian came over to Lovato and instantly won her heart.
"I picked him up and we just connected," she said. "He was just so sweet, and he kept saying my name over and over again. It was really hard to say good-bye to him. They also held a birthday celebration for me. They gave me a goat, which was pretty cool!”
Lovato named said goat Billy, and though she pondered whether or not to take him home with her, she ultimately decided he'd be better off staying with the locals in the Kenyan village she spent time with for her 21st birthday.
Unlike most 21-year-olds, Lovato's birthday bash wasn't a booze-filled celebration, as the star is a recovering addict and went to rehab in 2010 at the age of 18 to deal with a variety of issues, including mental illness and self-harm.
"It's different for me because I'm in recovery," she told Latina. "I also want to set an example for others. You don't have to booze it up-you can do something else."
And after losing her biological father over the summer, someone who also struggled with mental illness and addiction, Lovato set up a special scholarship in his honor, the Lovato Treatment Scholarship.
"The process is getting [addicts] through treatment, giving them the support that they need. Just making sure they get their two feet on the ground," she said. She also dedicated her song "Nightingale" to him during her recent 2 Live concert.
Though things got rough for her this year, there were also many shining moments, from the release of her fourth studio album, "Demi," to landing simultaneous roles on two FOX shows, including "X-Factor" and a recurring guest appearance on "Glee" as the love interest of Santana, a struggling NYC artist and lesbian named Dani.
"Yes, we kissed in the first episode, but I want people to pay less attention to the fact that I'm kissing a girl," Lovato said of working with Naya Rivera. "Focus on the fact that having a young, multicultural lesbian couple on prime time is a huge step in our generation. It's showing people that it's okay to be who you are. Don't be ashamed of it."
Speaking of couples, although Lovato has long kept quiet about her relationship with Wilmer Valderrama, she did reveal to the magazine when she plans on getting married and having children.
"I'm a Texas girl, so my instinct is to have babies early. In my heart I'm like, 'Okay, it's time to have babies!' But it's not," she said. "I have so much life ahead of me that I actually have to slow my roll. We'll see where my life is in 5 years, but I definitely see myself as a mom in 10."
Click here to see photos from Demi Lovato's December/January Latina magazine photoshoot.
