Demi Lovato is a true force of nature. In the last three weeks, the singer has (wisely) broken off an engagement, and released both a breakup ballad and an anti-Trump anthem “Commander in Chief,†the latter of which she performed live at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday, October 14. Lovato chose to belt out her political ballad at the piano, flawlessly riffing and running as she delivered a takedown of our current president. While her message was loud and clear, TMZ reports that NBC may have censored the tail end of Lovato’s powerful performance, choosing to cut to a closeup of Lovato at the piano instead of a wide shot, where the word “Vote†was emblazoned on the two screens flanking the stage. Considering the fact that NBC is hosting Trump’s town hall in lieu of the debate on Thursday, October 15, the omission of Lovato’s “Vote†message was definitely more than a little suspect.
While it’s up for debate whether or not NBC intentionally censored Lovato’s live performance, it’s not up for debate that Lovato is passionate about inspiring her fans to get to the polls and vote out 45. Lovato went the extra mile and dropped the music video for “Commander in Chief†after her BBMA performance, doubling down on her salient message. The music video depicts a diverse array of Americans lip syncing to Lovato’s song, with Lovato coming in at the tail end to deliver the message herself. “Commander in Chief, Honestly/ If I did the things you do, I couldn’t sleep, Seriously/ Do you even know the truth?†belts out Lovato. The video ends with just one word on the screen: “Vote.†You see, NBC? You cannot silence a voice as powerful as Demi Lovato’s.