April 13 (UPI) -- Demi Lovato says she felt "so liberated" after cutting her hair last year.
The 28-year-old singer and actress explained her decision to cut her hair short during Tuesday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
Lovato sported shoulder-length hair or longer for most of her career before switching to a close-cropped look in November. She told host Drew Barrymore that cutting her hair helped free her from gender and sexuality norms.
"I cut my hair because I just wanted to free myself of all of the gender and sexuality norms that were placed on me as a Christian in the South," Lovato said. "When I cut my hair, I felt so liberated because I wasn't subscribing to an ideal or a belief placed upon me to be something that I'm not."
"Now that I'm owning who I am, I feel the happiest I've ever felt," she added. "That's because I'm being honest -- secrets keep you sick. I've heard that a million times and I fully believe it. Now there's no secrets for the world to find out. I just put it out there and I'm like, hey, this is it, this is me."
Lovato said it took her years to embrace her true self and prioritize herself over her career and the opinions of others.
"Instead of feeling judged by everyone I'm just gonna say, 'Look, your opinion about me doesn't matter to me. I'm doing what I need to do for myself and my wellness, my well-being,'" the star said.
"I'm putting myself first in front of my career, and that's something I never did before because I was so preoccupied trying to be the sexy, feminine pop star that I just ignored who I am," she added.
Lovato previously said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February that cutting her hair made her feel more authentic.
"I cut my hair off in November and I am just, I feel so free," she said. "I feel more authentic to who I am and I also feel liked I used to hide behind my hair."
Lovato released her seventh studio album, Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over, this month. The album includes the song "Dancing with the Devil," which addresses Lovato's 2018 overdose.
Lovato performed her song "The Art of Starting Over" on Good Morning America this month. In the song, Lovato sings about new beginnings and letting the "darkness" out.
