Lovato will also be preforming at the Grammy’s on January 27, marking the singer’s first live performance since before being hospitalized for a drug overdose in July 2018, according to CNN.The singer visited Israel this past October and went to the Shalva Center in Jerusalem, the Western Wall, the Jordan River and Yad Vashem, among other places in the country.“I am an American singer. I was raised Christian and have Jewish ancestors. When I was offered an amazing opportunity to visit the places I’d read about in the Bible growing up, I said yes,” Lovato wrote on Instagram in a post with pictures of her being baptized in the Jordan River. “There is something absolutely magical about Israel. I’ve never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God…something I’ve been missing for a few years now. Spirituality is so important to me…to be baptized in the Jordan river – the same place Jesus was baptized – I’ve never felt more renewed in my life.”“This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart, and my soul. I’m grateful for the memories made and the opportunity to be able to fill the God-sized hole in my heart. Thank you for having me, Israel,” she continued in the same post.Watch Demi perform the National Anthem at #SBLIV on February 2nd! @NFL pic.twitter.com/Mr5aLH9H8k
— Team Demi (@ddlovato) January 16, 2020
Lovato received criticism from the trip and posted an apology on her Instagram story that was then deleted, as stories last for 24 hours.She wrote “I’m extremely frustrated. I accepted a free trip to Israel in exchange for a few posts. No one told me there would be anything wrong with going or that I could possibly be offending anyone. With that being said, I’m sorry if I hurt or offended anyone, that was not my intention. Sometimes people present you with opportunities and no one tells you the potential backlash you could face in return. This was meant to be a spiritual experience for me, NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT, and now I realize it hurt people and for that I’m sorry. Sorry I’m not more educated, and sorry for thinking this trip was just a spiritual experience. Going against all advice right now and apologizing because it feels right to me and I’d rather get in trouble for being authentic to myself, than staying quiet to please other people. I love my fans, all of them, from all over.”Lovato's mother posted a photo of her and Demi’s hangs on the Western Wall proclaiming she would “unapologetically” come back to Israel.
Hannah Brown contributed to this report.