Demi Lovato's new track helped her 'process' father's death

Pop star Demi Lovato is opening up about her new track Father, a song which helped her "process" his death and understand their complicated relationship.

The Skyscraper singer released her fifth studio album, Confident, last week (ends16Oct15), and among the many personal songs on the record is Father, dedicated to Patrick Lovato, who passed away in 2013.

Demi has previously revealed she was mostly estranged from her dad, who divorced her mum when the singer was two, and he battled with alcoholism and mental illness throughout his life.

In a candid video Demi posted on Monday (19Oct15), the former Disney star detailed the meaning behind the new song and revealed how the track helped her cope with his death.

"I was very conflicted when he passed because he was abusive," Demi explained. "He was mean, but he wanted to be a good person. And he wanted to have his family, and when my mom married my stepdad, he still had this huge heart where he said, 'I'm so glad that he's taking care of you and doing the job that I wish I could do.'...

"I realised (my father) wasn't capable of raising a family. To know that it wasn't really his fault really was saddening to me. I wanted to write about it. I wanted to process it, and Father really helped me do that."