Demi Lovato [1] is only 24 years old, but she is influential beyond her years. So it's no wonder she was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People [2] for 2017.

Arianna Huffington wrote an essay about Demi and summed it up perfectly: "Her courage, honesty and willingness to use her own experiences to help others are what make her a true star."

Demi made her acting debut at 8 years old and has gone through so much publicly. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder [3] and, instead of hiding it, came together with Be Vocal, a campaign that encourages people to speak up about mental illness. Demi also battled alcohol and drug abuse, self-harm, and eating disorders, but now that she's five years sober [4], she isn't letting any of that define her. All the praise to Demi!