And now for the refreshing twist: That toilet-flush of innocence is not this woman’s whole story, nor, it turns out, the most interesting chapter. In four hard-won years of sobriety — and we’re talking the grinding, unglamorous work of it, the sober companions and living houses, the daily mindful avoidance of triggers — Demi Lovato has thrown herself deeply into a useful and engaged life. In the last year alone, she hit up Capitol Hill to advocate for the mentally ill, has been a vocal ally of the LGBT community, rallied the Latino vote, and stumped for Hillary Clinton at the Iowa caucuses. And with the release of her album Confident last fall, she’s made a conscious decision to concentrate on music that showcases her vocal chops rather than slick, poppy hooks. In other words, she’s trusting and using her voice, which we may have underestimated all this time.

At the Grammys in February, Lovato took the stage as part of a tribute to Lionel Richie. When she launched into “Hello” — as perfect a song as any to reintroduce one’s self to an audience — she says it was like she watched the crowd wake up to her as an artist. “I remember Lionel was sitting next to Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson,” Lovato tells me. “Lionel looked so happy, and when I hit that first big note, Bruno almost fully stood out of his chair and he put his fist in the air. I was like, ‘Oh, shit, this is really going well.’ When I got off stage, I just started crying. It’s taken me so long to get to the Grammys, and to finally get to perform there was amazing.” Her longtime manager Phil McIntyre greeted her in the wings, holding up his cellphone that was already ablaze with industry congratulations. “I really campaigned for her to have that moment,” he told me in an email, “because I knew she would rise to the occasion and show the world just how talented of a singer she is. I believe that was a game-changing moment for her in her career.”

Today, clad in workout gear and coughing into her elbow, Lovato strikes me as calm and present. Because she’s spent the last several years working so openly through her demons, there’s an ease to our free-flowing conversation that can be rare in interviews with famous people, particularly those who have grown up with media trainers. “I’d rather live my life free and open than closed off, where people like me for something that I’m not,” she says matter-of-factly. She seems like a grown-up, and when I share that I too am sober, she responds to me in the measured, supportive voice of a sponsor.