First Posted: 7/8/2013

You could probably guess that Demi Lovato wasn’t going to throw your stereotypical 21st birthday party this Aug. 20 – but could you have guessed that Lovato would travel far outside of America to partake in charity work?

“I’m actually going to go to Africa,” Lovato said of her birthday plans. After performing on “Good Morning America,” the singer sat down with “The Ralphie Show” in an interview that aired last Monday evening. “I’m just going to do a bunch of charity stuff. I feel the best way to celebrate anyone’s birthday is just giving back and helping others.”

Lovato is quite cognizant of the “typical” celebration for turning 21 years old, and she seems quite intent on breaking down the stereotype.

“Birthdays are all about celebrating life, and people are very blessed to even make it to 21,” the singer explained, “so the last thing I think anyone should be doing on their birthday is poisoning themselves.”

If you have followed Lovato’s career to this point, the comments aren’t surprising. A Disney starlet who rose to fame touring with the Jonas Brothers and starring on TV, she checked out of entertainment and into a rehab facility in October 2010 to deal with bipolar disorder and bulimia. The singer returned to the spotlight in the summer of 2011 with “Skyscraper,” an emotional ballad and the lead single from her third studio album “Unbroken.” That LP yielded the monster hit “Give Your Heart a Break” and, along with her story of hope and perseverance, sent the artist’s career to new heights.

“It still feels like a dream,” Lovato said of her success since leaving rehab. “I don’t think there’s ever one time where I heard my song on the radio that I didn’t get excited. And if I didn’t show it, I was secretly excited inside.”

Lovato is also excited for the success of the people she grew up with in the business: Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, and Miley Cyrus, to name a few. She and Gomez have known each other since they were 7-years-old, and while they both now deal with the burdens of the spotlight in their 20s, the “Heart Attack” singer doesn’t feel it necessary to offer advice based on her own personal struggles.

“For me personally, I’ve just learned to kind of not pay attention,” Lovato said. “When people call me names or whatever, or they spread rumors, it’s like at the end of the day, my family knows the truth, my friends know the truth, I know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”

Lovato is currently balancing a busy schedule that includes her role as a judge on “The X-Factor” and promoting her latest album “Demi.” The LP’s next single is “Made in the USA,” and the songstress makes her directorial debut with the music video. Although the piece is finished, no release date has been set yet.

– Listen to “The Ralphie Show” weeknights from 7 p.m.-midnight on 97 BHT.