Demi Lovato has said referring to extraterrestrials as “aliens” is derogatory and the word should no longer be used.

The La La Land singer – who came out as non-binary in May – stars in new documentary series Unidentified, in which they embarked on a road trip to try and discover the truth about UFO phenomena.

Lovato, 29, told Pedestrian.tv: “I think that we have to stop calling them aliens because aliens is a derogatory term for anything.

“That’s why I like to call them ETs! So yeah, that’s a little tidbit. A little information that I learned.”

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The word “alien” is defined in the dictionary as meaning “unfamiliar and disturbing or distasteful”, “a foreign being” or “a hypothetical or fictional being from another world”.

ET stands for extraterrestrial, which means “from outside the Earth or its atmosphere” or “a hypothetical or fictional being from another world”.

Lovato said they have believed in UFOs “my whole life”, but has been upset by preconceptions of visitors to our planet from outer space.

They said: “I think the ones that bother me are that they’re harmful or that they’ll come and take over the planet. I really think that if there was anything out there that would want to do that to us, it would have happened by now.”

Lovato – who stars in the four-part Peacock Original series with sister Dallas and best friend Matthew – said they experienced some form of paranormal activity in every city they visited.

And the former children’s TV star said they had made contact with extraterrestrials through meditation.

Lovato revealed: “I have a belief that you can make contact, just as easy as I did if you were to meditate and expand your consciousness and work towards enlightenment. I believe that is the quickest way to be able to see something or meet something.”