“What’s your favorite scary movie?” Demi Lovato asked on Feb. 15, and nearly a month later, she gave fans a reason to pick the upcoming Scream VI. Demi, 30, shared not only “Still Alive,” the first single from the Scream sequel’s soundtrack, but a music video that might be considered an entry in the long-running horror franchise. In the visual, Demi (who goes by they/them/she/her) rocks a leather jacket and sexy sheer top while battling against Ghostface. She looked ready to battle the non-discriminate horror hero, and the song carried retro rock echoes of the 1990s — a rebirth era for horror films, and the landscape on which Wes Craven’s Scream first emerged. “If anybody asks/I’m turning back time/chasing the ghost that would haunt me at night/facing my past cause I’m up for the fight,” she sings in the perfect horror movie anthem.
The video was intercut with scenes from the film, as well as Demi in a movie theater. She also belted out the new hit in front of a lavish, chandelier and skylight filled glass room.
Demi shared the single’s artwork on Feb. 15. Her boyfriend, Jutes (fka Jute$), hyped up the release in the post’s comments section. “lfg baby…u don’t miss,” he wrote along with a hearts-for-eyes emojis. Demi’s tour photographer, Angelo Kritikos, wrote that the new “song is KILLER,” per Billboard. Less than two weeks later, she posted some behind-the-scenes shots of the music video shoot, including a picture of her in her jacket, the scene where she’s over Ghostface’s prone body, Ghostface slumped in the corner and a reveal of the actor behind the mask (which Demi later put over her face.
Demi now joins a club of Musicians Who Made Original Songs For Horror Films that boasts such stars as Michael Jackson (“Ben”), Alice Cooper (“He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)”), Dokken (“Dream Warriors”), The Dickies (“Killer Klowns From Outer Space”), J. Geils Band (“Fright Night”) and Echo and the Bunnymen (their cover of “People Are Strange” for The Lost Boy counts!) Usually, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is the act most associated with the Scream series, with their “Red Right Hand” being used in Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3 and the 2022 Scream – aka Scream 5.
“Still Alive” is Demi’s first new music since she unleashed her new metal/rock direction with 2022’s HOLY FVCK. The album peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, and topped the Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts. As of 2022, the album has a Metacritic score of 78, with CLASH saying the album “serves as brilliant proof of Lovato’s hard rock capabilities. Lovato suits hard rock, those vocals absolutely gorgeous when paired with a sturdy burst of heavy soundscapes. While Lovato can knock out a summer-ready banger, it’s equally as thrilling to see them lurking in the shadows.”
Demi might not lurk in the shadows for much longer. In September 2022, she said, “this next tour will be my last. I love and thank you, guys. I can’t do this anymore. I’m so f***ing sick I can’t get out of bed.” In October, she had to postpone a concert due to her losing her voice.