Demi Lovato on Finding Peace: 'I Value Connection Over Any Award'

The former Disney star has won plenty of accolades over the years, but she says none of them compare to what she comes home to every night. Here’s how she found her sense of calm.

From beauty pageants in Texas to the Disney Channel and sold-out tours, Demi Lovato has finally found her home. The singer says what matters most these days is the life she’s building with her husband, Jutes, and the people she loves.

“At the end of the day, I don’t come home to an award,” the 34-year-old said on an episode of Kerry Washington’s podcast, “Street You Grew Up On.” “I come home to my dogs and my husband, and that’s what brings me joy.”

Demi Lovato at the Los Angeles premiere of Disney's "Camp Rock 3" at Walt Disney Studios on August 10, 2026 in Burbank, California | Source: Getty Images

Exuding a sense of peace during the interview, Lovato said it came with a lot of work on herself. “I’ve been through a lot, and I have put in those hours in therapy and treatment, and you name it. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching,” she shared, adding that it remains a work in progress. “I’m not healed,” she said. “I continue to work on myself, you know, I’m in therapy once a week.”

Looking back, Lovato is proud of what she’s achieved. “To be able to sit back and be like, I did that. Like, I did the work on myself, and I’m in a great place now, like it feels so good.”

A big part of the joy Lovato is currently experiencing is her marriage to Jutes, a Canadian musician. “I’ve also found my partner,” she said. “It’s such a gift. He’s brought so much joy into my life.”

Jutes and Demi Lovato during the 68th Grammy Awards Pre-Grammy Gala & Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoring Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman at The Beverly Hilton on January 31, 2026 | Source: Getty Images

Lovato acknowledges that she wouldn’t be where she is without focusing on her own growth as a person. “I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate the gift of having the love of my life come into the picture had I still been wrapped up in some of the issues that I had had in the past,” she said. “I do feel like I’ve found my home in him.”

The couple was first linked in 2022 before making their red carpet debut in February 2023. They tied the knot in May 2025, recently marking their first anniversary with a trip to Spain. In September 2024, Lovato gushed about their relationship, telling People, “I’ve waited my whole life for him.” She also described Jutes as “a partner that is so supportive, so loving, so caring.”

Apart from her husband, Lovato finds happiness in her friends and family. “I value connection over any award that I work towards,” she told Washington. Having been in the industry since she was young, she’s learned that even when the spotlight has waned, “what stays consistent is family, is friends, is my husband, and that’s what I hold on to. So, I keep my circle small.”

But at the end of the day, “what’s important in life is connection,” according to the singer, adding, “That’s what I hold true to me.”