Demi Lovato clarifies why she sang 'Heart Attack' at heart disease charity event

Jess Battison
2026-03-19T18:10:58.433Z
Entertainment

At the time, reps said it was 'actually a beautiful moment' despite the controversy

Over the years, Demi Lovato has provided a number of viral moments.

From singing to ghosts to her Disney knees, she’s had her fair share of memes, but nothing went down quite like a certain performance in 2024.

Yes, that performance, her performance at the American Heart Association.

A gig that could have just been like any other charity or campaign event led to a whole load of backlash and controversy thanks to the choice of song: ‘Heart Attack’.

I mean, I’m not sure how much I need to explain the irony of that. And unsurprisingly, social media absolutely popped off at the time

While her team back then did give a bit of an explanation, Lovato has now given the full backstory about just why she sang performed this bit of music at an event for women suffering cardiovascular problems.

Lovato famously performed at the 2024 event. (Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection Concert)

The former Disney Channel star took the opportunity to explain just why she sang ‘Heart Attack’ as she appeared on iHeartRadio’s Elvis Duran Show earlier today (19 March).

“I want to say they asked me to sing that,” the 33-year-old claimed.

“Because I flagged it beforehand and was like, ‘Um, isn’t this like not the vibe?’ And they were like, ‘No, they want to hear it.’”

However, as Lovato pointed out, people were quick to take to social media to ask just why she would sing the track.

“And I’m like, ‘Y’all, it wasn’t me—I didn’t ask. I flagged it’,” she added.

At the time, her representative told Entertainment Weekly that the song was chosen to highlight the ‘mind-heart connection’.

“It was a sensitive moment intended to champion the women in the room — the very reason why Demi was at the event,” they said.

“She did open with a beautiful intro on why she chose the song and addressed the room, talking about the mind and heart connection. It was actually a beautiful moment.”

She's now said it was not her song choice. (iHeartRadio/Elvis Duran Show)

On the night, Lovato explained why the song was important to her too.

“While my next song is about the intense feelings that come with falling in love as well as heartbreak, opening yourself up, taking risks and not being afraid to do it again,” she said on stage.

“This song has many parallels for me, my journey and a reminder for all of us in the room just how strong the mind-heart-body connection truly is."

Lovato herself suffered a heart attack following an overdose in 2018.

“I snapped,” she recalled in her documentary, Dancing with the Devil. “I had three strokes, I had a heart attack. My doctors said that I had five to 10 more minutes [to live].”