Demi Lovato wasn't always so "confident."

ET's Katie Krause sat down with the 24-year-old singer at the junket for her new movie, Smurfs: The Lost Village, in Los Angeles on Friday, where she opened up about a time when she thought she "wasn't going to work again" in Hollywood.



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"I feel like I went through a lot of stuff growing up, and I went through some challenges and obstacles," explained Lovato, who landed her first TV role at just 10 years old. "I felt like, at a period of time, I wasn't going to work again."

The former Disney star hasn't been shy about sharing her troubles in the spotlight after completing rehab in 2011, and says that overcoming her issues helped her find her "purpose."

"I overcame those struggles [and] it actually gave me more of a...I found my purpose through it all," she said. "That was kind of my story."

These days, Lovato's career couldn't be hotter.



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"I came out with a song today with Cheat Codes called 'No promises,'" she beamed, before spilling details about her upcoming album.

"I actually want to go a totally different way with my album. I want to go more soulful, so we'll see what that ends up turning out like," she revealed. "I'm still in the process of writing and finding the inspiration behind it so we'll see."

And as Lovato continues on her path, she says her goal in voicing Smurfette in Smurfs: The Lost Village is to help others "find their purpose."

"I think there's a tiny bit of sarcasm that I bring to the character at times that is very Demi-fied. But I also wanted to bring empowerment to her character," she shared. "I wanted her to be brave and I wanted her to inspire other people to go out and find their purpose as well."



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Smurfs: The Lost Village hits theaters on April 7.

Lovato opened up to ET about the importance of maintaining her sobriety earlier this month. See what she had to say in the video below.