Demi Lovato advised against dating older men amid rumors her song “29” is about ex Wilmer Valderrama.
“If you’re a young girl and you think that it’s sexy or fun to date older men, it’s not OK unless you’re of age,” the former Disney Channel star, 30, said on Wednesday’s episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
“I think sometimes the public needs the truth, and that’s why I decided to release … [this] single,” the “Camp Rock” alum told host Alexandra Cooper.
“I think the message is so important.”
Lovato made headlines earlier this month when she revealed the lyrics for “29,” which appeared to reference the age Valderrama, now 42, was when they met in 2010. (The actress was 17 at the time.)
“Thought it was a teenage dream / Just a fantasy / But was it yours or was it mine?” the Lovato sings in the rumored diss track. “Far from innocent / What the f–k’s consent?”
She continues, “Numbers told you not to / But that didn’t stop you.”
The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer, who did not go public with her and Valderrama’s romance until the month she turned 18, has yet to confirm whether he is the subject of the release.
“I’m very careful with the way that I answer these questions because I feel like the song says it all,” Lovato told Zane Lowe last week. “I don’t have to say too much, to be honest.”
The Grammy nominee noted that “sometimes less is more.”
However, Lovato did give Cooper a glimpse into the inspiration behind the song on Wednesday.
“I came out of treatment with anger, I came out of treatment with understanding and growth,” she said. “It was a reflective song for me. Even though there [are] undertones of anger, I really learned a lot about that experience and I decided to write about it.”
Lovato dated Valderrama on and off until 2016. The actor is now engaged to model Amanda Pacheco, and he shares daughter Nakano, 1, with the 30-year-old.
As for Lovato, news broke this month that she is dating Jute$, celebrating her 30th birthday on Sunday with the musician.