Demi Lovato Breaks Down During Emotional First Performance Since Her Overdose

After a years-long struggle with addiction, Demi had celebrated six years of sobriety just five months earlier. However, a month prior, Demi had released the song "Sober," which implied that she had gone through a relapse.

Demi made it clear on Instagram in December that this was about to change when she shared a post that simply read, "The next time you hear from me, I'll be singing."

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Demi revealed that the song she would be performing, "Anyone," was written just four days before her overdose, and said, "I listen back to these lyrics and I hear it as a cry for help.”

When speaking about the song, Demi had said, "I was recording it in a state of mind where I felt like I was OK, but clearly I wasn't. I even listen back to it and I'm like, 'Gosh, I wish I could go back in time and help that version of myself.'"

Demi choked up during the first line of the song and had to take a second to compose herself. She then had her backup musicians restart the song as the crowd began to cheer for her.

Demi was crying throughout the song, although she didn't miss a note in the powerful performance. One fan on Twitter wrote, "This was more than a performance. This was a demonstration of the pain and suffering someone going through a relapse goes through."

Selena Gomez, who has been a friend of Demi's since they were children, shared a touching message to her old friend on Instagram, writing, "Thank you for your courage and your bravery."