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Demi Lovato kissed singer Kehlani onstage and now fans are convinced the 2 women are dating in r

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  • Demi Lovato performed in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday for the last stop on the North American leg of her "Tell Me You Love Me" tour.
  • The tour's opening act, singer Kehlani, surprised Lovato onstage as she sang her ballad "Lonely" — and the two shared a kiss, followed by some dancing.
  • Kehlani, who has dated both men and women, had dedicated her romantic song "Honey" to Lovato earlier in the night.
  • Lovato also changed lyrics in her own song "Cool for the Summer" to include Kehlani's name.
  • Fans are now convinced that the two women are a couple and have been sharing impassioned reactions on social media.

Demi Lovato has never been one to hold back. The 25-year-old star is open about everything from her alcoholism to eating disorders — and, more recently, her fluid approach to sexuality.  

At her most recent concert for her "Tell Me You Love Me" tour in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday, she sent fans into a frenzy when she was joined on stage by the tour's opening act, singer Kehlani, for her song "Lonely."

During the song, Lovato performs on a rotating bed. Kehlani surprised Lovato by sneaking up behind her onstage. The two women shared a kiss in front of the audience, followed by some dancing as Lovato straddled Kehlani on the bed.

Videos of the performance immediately began circulating on social media as fans speculated about the pair's involvement and struggled to contain their excitement.

—Music News Facts (@musicnewsfact) April 3, 2018 —Chance🌸 (@GrandexCardi) April 3, 2018—🇦🇸 Zyon #LoveLies (@DeliveryDinah) April 3, 2018—heather (@crawledjauregui) April 3, 2018

Lovato and Kehlani both posted photos of the surprise moment on social media. Kehlani addressed her post to Lovato directly — writing that "anyone would be stupid not to jump at the chance to hop on that damn moving bed and grab your face" — while Lovato called Kehlani an "extremely special, talented and cool as f--- woman."

Naturally, fans responded with renewed passion. Many even begged the two women to date.

—Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) April 3, 2018—carmen (@damnnddl) April 3, 2018—andile (@INDIEWASHERE) April 3, 2018—LatinLovatic (@QbanLovatic) April 3, 2018—em loves camila (@incrediblekarla) April 3, 2018—Zion🖤 (@kehlanikordeiii) April 3, 2018

Some fans were convinced that the two singers are already a couple — and it's not a baseless theory. During Kehlani's set, she dedicated her romantic song "Honey" to "all the beautiful women in the audience" but Lovato in particular. While she was singing, Lovato tweeted "I like my girls just like I like my honey," which are the song's opening lyrics.

—Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) April 3, 2018

Later in the night — before the kiss — Lovato changed the lyrics of her song "Cool for the Summer" from "Got a taste for the cherry" to "Got a taste for Kehlani." The 2015 hit is widely interpreted to be written about Lovato's relationship with a woman.

—Kehlani Source (@Kehlani_Source) April 3, 2018

Interestingly, Lovato also changed the lyrics at the end of the song from "Don't tell your mother" to "Go tell your mother." Lovato has received criticism for the song's "bi-curious" representation of lesbian relationships. The singer Halsey, who identifies as bisexual, seemed to address "Cool for the Summer" when commenting on the exploitation of bisexuality in music.

"Bisexuality [is] taboo," Halsey told Paper. "'Don't tell your mom' or 'We shouldn't do this' or 'This feels so wrong but it's so right.'"

Demi Lovato performing "Cool for the Summer" in Newark, New Jersey on April 2. Callie Ahlgrim/INSIDER

While performing "Cool for the Summer" on Monday, Lovato also told the audience to "love who you want to love."

Although Lovato tends to resist publicly labeling her sexuality, she has recently revealed that she is open to dating both men and women. 

"I am open to human connection. So whether that's through a male or a female, it doesn't matter to me," Lovato says in her YouTube documentary, "Simply Complicated."

Demi Lovato performs at Y100's Jingle Ball in December. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

Kehlani has expressed similar sentiments. Although she openly dated both men and women, the R&B singer told Complex that she wouldn't necessarily call herself bisexual.

"I like who I like," she said. "I've dated both men and women. Sex is biological, but gender is mental. I've been with people who aren't what they're born into. You fall in love with a person's mind, you fall in love with a person's soul, not with whatever's down there."

Regardless of whether or not Lovato and Kehlani are an item, they are clearly positive and encouraging presences in each others' lives. Lovato has cited the 22-year-old rising star as an inspiration, while Kehlani has admitted that she once had a "crazy obsession" with the "La La Land" singer.

—ً (@undemis) April 3, 2018

Although fans will undoubtedly continue to speculate, it's great to see two women supporting each other and openly embracing the LGBT community. 

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Reinaldo Massengill

Update: 2024-08-30