In the last several months, Lovato has been making the rounds singing the strongest track on Confident, the stripped-down ballad “Stone Cold,” which she says best represents her new artistic direction. She co-wrote the song with the Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh Pourkarim, who’s also worked with Adam Lambert. “Usually there are always 10-20 people involved in the process of making these big projects,” Pourkarim tells me via email. “But when me and Demi get together, we create whatever we want to create without having to compromise with anyone, and I love that about her. She is in control over her career and that is so important.” Hungry for more songs as satisfying as “Stone Cold,” Lovato has spent much of the spring in the recording studio. “By the time I go on tour, I want to be able to perform new songs,” she says. “Ideally, I would release a single next month.”

Lovato knows all of this hard work doesn’t guarantee people will ever see her as more than a former child star. And that’s okay with her. Because she sees herself as more than that. “I’m still underestimated,” she says. “I still have more things to prove — not just about the things I can do with my voice. Some people think that because I’m young, I can’t stay sober. But these are things I want to prove to myself.”