Music artist and actor Demi Lovato responded to backlash following the performance of her 2013 hit "Heart Attack" at a concert hosted by an organization committed to investing in women's heart health.
Lovato was featured as a performer on Wednesday for The Red Dress Collective concert at the Jazz at Lincoln Center venue in New York City.
It was part of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement that raises awareness of the issues related to women and heart disease.
Lovato suffered a heart attack in 2018 after a drug overdose.
While the nonprofit organization approved and supported Lovato's performance of the song, according to TMZ, some thought her song was tone-deaf, given the nature of the event.
Here is a clip of the performance shared by a user on X (formerly Twitter).
It got a polarizing reaction online.
Many users canceled her and wrote posts containing the skull emoji to indicate they were either dead from watching the audacious performance or that Lovato was now dead to them because of it.
Lovato later responded to the backlash and explained why she sang the song.
In an email, a representative for the Grammy-nominated singer told Entertainment Weekly:
“She spoke on 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.”
"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."
Following the statement, Lovato stans responded with supportive comments and suggested uninformed haters stay out of it.
In her 2021 Dancing With the Devil documentary, Lovato opened up about surviving a heart attack:
“I actually don’t think people realize how bad it actually was."
“I had three strokes. I had a heart attack. I suffered brain damage from the strokes. I can’t drive anymore.”
"And I have blind spots in my vision so sometimes when I go to pour a glass of water, I'll totally miss the cup because I can't see it. I also had pneumonia because I asphyxiated and had multiple organ failure."
She has since been counting her blessings, saying she is "lucky to be alive.
After the concert, Lovato stayed true to the cause and encouraged others to join her in spreading awareness of cardiovascular disease.
Lovato wrote on her Instagram Story:
"Are you ready to Rock Your Red? Friday is National #wearredday and a chance for you to join me and millions of women in raising awareness of women’s greatest health threat—cardiovascular disease."
"This week I was proud to stand with [the AHA] at the #reddresscollection Concert."
"Now it’s your turn—post a photo of you in your red with #wearredday and help save womens lives."
According to the Go Red for Women website, the red dress is a national symbol:
"For women and heart disease awareness, and the AHA [American Heart Association] adopted this symbol to create synergy among all organizations committed to fighting this cause."
In 2003, the AHA banded together with other organizations, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), to advance their cause with a stronger impact than any one group in committing to women and heart disease awareness.
The Go Red for Women movement and Red Dress campaigns target women exclusively because women as a specific group have been ignored, contributing to a lack of awareness of the often preventable disease.
Because men have been historically associated with heart disease, male-focused research has unfortunately led to treatment guidelines and programs generally tailored toward men to the detriment of women with heart health risks.
