Demi Lovato Rocks Revamped Hits at 2023 MTV VMAs

Ahead of the release of Revamped, a new album full of rock versions of her old pop hits, Demi Lovato brought their kinetic vocal energy to the VMAs stage — with some super-charged guitar riffs — at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Tuesday night (Sept. 12).

The performance previewed a bold new vision of Lovato’s top 20 smashes: “Heart Attack” got the first hard rock treatment, followed by a pummeling take on “Sorry Not Sorry” and ending with a rendition of “Cool for the Summer” that somehow made its effervescent hooks mosh-friendly. Throughout, Lovato, who was dressed in all black, commanded the stage as guitarists sent off spiraling solos and the stage pyrotechnics burst around her.

Lovato’s voice remained their guiding light, though, with the new arrangements still following the cues of the superstar’s vocal power. In the VMAs audience, Taylor Swift and Lil Nas X were among the stars captured grooving to the rock tracks by the MTV cameras.

Along with the hits Lovato performed at the VMAs, Revamped, due out this Friday (Sept. 15), features re-imagined hits like “Confident,” “Tell Me You Love Me,” “Skyscraper” and “Neon Lights.” Lovato hinted at the newfound focus on hard rock on Holy Fvck, her 2022 full-length.

Lovato last performed at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2017, performing a more pop-leaning version of “Sorry Not Sorry.” Their music video for “Swine” was nominated for two awards at this year’s VMAs.