American pop star Demi Lovato has announced they are non-binary and will be using the pronouns they/them.
Demi Lovato. Photo: Twitter/Demi Lovato
Lovato was a Disney child star before entering the music industry.
They are known for being open with their personal struggles over the years.
On their social media on Wednesday, 28-year-old Lovato - an active campaigner for LGBT rights - said they were going public to help those who related to them, and were yet to be able to also go public with their identities.
Lovato said the decision to use the pronouns they/them had come after "a lot of healing and self-reflective work".
"Today is a day I'm so happy to share more of my life with you all - I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary & will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward," Lovato said.
The Sorry Not Sorry singer spoke about their decision in a new podcast, 4D with Demi Lovato, that was launched on Wednesday.
"In 2018 when I overdosed, I feel like the reason why that happened was because I was ignoring my truth, and I was suppressing who I really am in order to please stylists, or team members, or this or that, or even fans that wanted me to be the sexy, feminine pop star in the, in the leotard and look a certain way, you know?," Lovato said.
"I thought that was what I was supposed to be and now I just realise that it's so much more important to live your truth than to ever suppress yourself because that's the type of stuff that happens when you do," they added.
Variety magazine executive editor Steven Gaydos told Morning Report Lovato had been open about their life and an encounter with a drug overdose.
"It's been a very hard and difficult road back for [their] health. [They] have not been sequestered away in keeping it secret and covering it up ... [they've] been quite open about [their] struggles, so that makes [them] an engaging social media figure."
Lovato, who has some 104 million followers on Instagram, was briefly engaged to actor Max Ehrich last year. Lovato said later that the engagement was an attempt to "prove to the world that I'm ok".
Lovato's podcast follows a tell-all documentary earlier this year in which the singer spoke in detail about their long addiction to drugs and other mental health issues.
The singer said they had three strokes and a heart attack when they were hospitalised for an overdose in 2018 and was also left with some brain damage.
LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD welcomed Lovato's announcement, saying it would "educate countless people around the world and reach other non-binary people with a message of pride".
- with additional reporting by Reuters