Demi Lovato, who recently came out as non-binary, says they were "afraid" of what their career "would look like" if they didn't present themselves as "hyper-feminine".
In an interview with boxer Patricio Manuel on their 4D with Demi Lovato podcast, Lovato voiced the concerns they had prior to coming out about the impact it would have on their career.
Watch the podcast below:Lovato, 28, said: "I know what it's like to have your dream feel like it can hold you back, but it's quite the opposite.
"Now that I am living my truth, my art has just become that much greater because my art is a reflection of who I am. So now that I'm able to be more transparent with the world in who I am, they can see my art better. And they hear it better."
They went on: "I was so afraid, at times, of what my career would look like if I wasn't that super sexy hyper-feminine pop star. My career doesn't matter as much to me now as it does living my truth."
The singer explained that they were able to relate to Manuel's decision to take up boxing during his "gender odyssey."
"I thought I was embracing my masculine side when I was training," Lovato said of mixed martial arts. "I was able to step foot into my masculinity more. Maybe that's why I was attracted to the sport."
However, this is not the first time that Lovato has opened up about their fears around their gender identity.
In an interview with Jane Fonda back in May, Lovato said they were put in a box by "the patriarchy", People reports.
"After years of living my life for other people, trying to make myself smaller for the patriarchy - they run the industry, they are at the center of everything," Lovato said.
"When I realized that, I thought, 'What are the ways that the patriarchy has been holding me back?' And for me, it was putting me in a box telling [me], 'You are a female, this is what you're supposed to like, this is what you're supposed to do, don't dream bigger and don't speak louder.'"
