Demi Lovato: The hardest-working woman in show business

The true Demi Lovato fans who attend her show at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand on Saturday know they arent there to see Sonny Munroe, the perpetually happy character she played on the hit TV series, Sonny With a Chance.

They also know Lovato isnt some perfect pop princess, living a charmed life while singing songs of wonder and joy.

On the outside, the singer and actress who turns 20 on Aug. 20 has the squeaky-clean beauty often associated with Disney Channel stars.But shes also letting some of the darker elements of her life into the spotlight, in the hope that it will help other kids who are going through the same thing.

In an interview last year with ABC News, Lovato admitted to being bullied by other students beginning in the seventh grade, an experience that led to an eating disorder. At age 11, she began cutting, a form of self-injury, in response to the depression she was feeling. Since going public with her mental difficulties, Lovato has become a spokesperson for an anti-bullying organization and has used other public opportunities to speak out against the problem.

Maddie Noyes, a 12-year-old who will attend Rochester Junior High in the fall, will be among the fans when Lovato comes to Springfield (see ticket information below). Maddie said she was shocked when the singer opened up about her past but feels it has had a positive impact.

I think it helps to hear it from a celebrity because it was really brave of her to do it. It made her seem that she was more real than just your average big celebrity who has never been through anything bad, she said.

While Maddie is impressed with Lovatos brave stance, shell be going to the concert for the music. She said that her two favorite songs are Give Your Heart a Break and Skyscraper, both from Lovatos 2011 album, Unbroken, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard magazine album chart.

Her music is very inspirational and very catchy, Maddie said.

Unlike some actors whose fame buys them a ticket into the recording studio, Lovato is not an Auto-Tune creation. She is credited with being able to really sing and one producer even compared her favorably to Kelly Clarkson, an artist respected for her vocal abilities.

Lovato released her first studio album in 2008. That same year she contributed tracks to the Camp Rock soundtrack, a hit Disney Channel movie in which she also starred. The following year she earned the starring role in the series Sonny With a Chance, which ran until 2011.

Although Lovato has been praised for her openness and honesty, she is still subjected to some of the frivolous aspects of stardom when it comes to media coverage. Her hair extensions created a sensation when she wore them on the red carpet before hosting the recent 2012 Teen Choice Awards. In what was surely an attempt to gin up some controversy for the upcoming season of TVs The X Factor, Simon Cowell referred to his new co-judge as a brat, according to an Associated Press report (although one who isnt afraid to tangle with the old curmudgeon himself).

Opening for Lovato will be Hot Chelle Rae. The group's double-platinum single, Tonight, Tonight, peaked last summer at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Demi Lovato/Hot Chelle Rae (pop)

• When:7:30 p.m. Saturday
• Where:Illinois State Fairgrounds Grandstand
• Tickets:$28/$25/$22/$19, available at www.ticketmaster.com, (800) 745-3000, or from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at the state fair box office.