Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas Come to Verizon Center

Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas probably couldn’t have imagined their new tour when they met at a Disney Channel screen test almost a decade ago. They were just kids then, and Lovato didn’t even get the part on the Jonas Brothers show that she was auditioning for. But in a recent phone interview, the two explained that their relationship really took off a few months later, when they filmed the Disney movie Camp Rock together.

“We became friends really on the set of Camp Rock,” Jonas said. “Demi and I are a month apart in age, and we were doing school together on set while filming and really connected pretty quickly. And then over the years, […] it [is] a great friendship with, I think, lots of differences in our personalities, which actually even helped us just be that much closer, but also on a creative and artistic level.”

“Throughout the years, we’ve been super close,” Lovato added, “and he’s one of the most loyal and true friends that I have in my life.”

After Camp Rock and more acting and singing with his brothers in their band, The Jonas Brothers, Jonas eventually set out on his own, releasing an album showing his newer, more mature side in 2014. Lovato also carved her own path, transitioning to more adult acting roles and a more mature sound in her music after a well-publicized stint in rehab. The transitions weren’t always easy.

“It was challenging at the beginning, for me at least,” Jonas said, “and still is, to a certain degree. I think there was an association with people’s first introduction to me, as opposed to them taking the music and my image for what it is now, in its current representation. So it took some time.”

“For me, the transition was a little bit easier,” Lovato said, “because I didn’t have to do anything to break out of the Disney mold. It’s a lot easier when you just go to rehab. So, I kind of grew up really fast in the public eye in that way, and so when it was time to release my music, I think people looked at me differently.”

In addition to their friendship, Lovato and Jonas have created their own record label – Safehouse Records – which they use to release their albums. They also both contribute time and resources to many different charities and volunteer efforts. It’s an important part of what they do, Lovato said.

“I wanted to continue the message of using my platform for more things than just singing about heartbreak,” she said. “That’s what music is for: getting you through [hard] times, but also using it to inspire people.”

Catch Lovato and Jonas on their Honda Civic Tour: Future Now at the Verizon Center on July 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $29.95, and are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

Verizon Center: 601 F St. NW, DC; 202-628-3200; www.verizoncenter.com

Photo: Courtesy of Honda Civic Tour: Future Now