Demi Lovato is done with taking things too seriously.

Lovato unveiled her ninth studio album and first pop album since 2021, It’s Not That Deep, on Friday. She’s nearly four years out of the pop game, but Lovato’s homecoming is bright and assured. Tracks like “Fast” and “Little Bit” hark back to the club-going energy Lovato radiated on “Cool for the Summer,” when she had the genre wrapped around her finger.

Where It’s Not That Deep differs from Lovato’s previous works is in its inherently carefree ethos. Lovato isn’t just singing about having fun — she’s actually having it.

“This album era has been such a joyful and fun time in my life. i really feel like i’m exactly where i’m supposed to be. every piece of this world was created with so much love,” Lovato wrote on Instagram following the album’s midnight release. “from set to the studio, i’ve enjoyed every moment of this process and i hope you can feel it when you listen. i’m so glad it’s finally yours to laugh, dance, and even cry to (because let’s be real, i had to get a little deep).”

Lovato also dropped the live music video of “Let You Go,” the fourth track on It’s Not That Deep, at 4 a.m. ET on album release day.

Fans will recall that nearly four years ago, Lovato sent her inner pop star six feet under, holding a “funeral” to commemorate the death of that musical era. In January 2022, the Camp Rock alum, clad in all black, hosted “a funeral for my pop music” with executives from Island Records, including her then-manager Scooter Braun. She went on to release Holy Fvck in 2022, followed by Revamped in 2023, before pivoting back to her pop-centric roots.

“My pop music coming back to life after we had a funeral for it,” reads text on a video Lovato posted to TikTok on July 21.

Ten days later, Lovato dropped “Fast,” her dance-pop single and first solo release in three years. “Here All Night,” an uptempo breakup track, was released in mid-September, followed by her latest, EDM-heavy single, “Kiss,” which debuted earlier this month.

With It’s Not That Deep, Lovato seems to embrace the nostalgia of her past and channel it in a way that serves who she is in this moment. There’s a cool, commanding nonchalance that’s steady throughout, and it’s especially evident on tracks like “Frequency,” where she repeatedly vows to “f*** up the vibe,” and “Say It,” on which she’s unapologetic in her desire for validation.

Still, the album lends itself to moments of introspection without sacrificing its free-flowing, electro-heavy energy. On “Let You Go,” Lovato realizes it’s time to end a relationship, as she sings, “Maybe we’ll be better as a memory/ Even if it means that you’ll forget me.” Lovato then slows things down with “Ghost,” a touching ballad about “wanting to be haunted for life” by the ghost of her partner.

It’s unclear if the “In My Head” singer plans to tour the album, though her Los Angeles fans are in for a treat: She’s set to play a special, one-night-only show at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday, Oct. 25, where she’ll perform tracks from It’s Not That Deep along with her greatest hits. The evening, Lovato says, will serve as a celebration of how far she’s come.

“I haven’t announced a headline show since 2023 and i have missed seeing your faces so much,” Lovato wrote on Instagram. “i cannot wait to get back in a room with you all and sing, dance, scream and shake our asses TOGETHER!!”