Selena Gomez: America’s Sweetheart And Survivor

The resilient singer has stared down illness, the celebrity gossip machine and then some, it’s hard to believe this former child star turned global pop sensation, Selena Gomez is only turning 28 on July 22.

Since making her television debut in 2007, the talented young singer and actress has sold over 7 million albums (including three No.1 albums), executive produced a critically acclaimed TV show (13 Reasons Why), and was awarded Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2017, but Gomez’s success is not merely measured by commercial accolades.

Having grown up in public eye for most of her adult life, Gomez has handled all of the trappings of celebrity with grace, maturity and a sense of openness that few public figures afford their fans. Since undergoing a very publicized kidney transplant for lupus, Gomez has bounced back in full force and released four hit songs in 2018  alone: the Talking Heads-sampled “Bad Liar,” which she co-wrote and was named the ‘Best Song Of 2017’ by Billboard, her collaborative dancefloor smash “Wolves” with DJ Marshmello, “Fetish” featuring rapper Gucci Mane and “Back To You,” the lead single off the 13 Reasons Why season two soundtrack.

As she told Zane Lowe on the Beats1 Radio Show, “I’ve always viewed things as comfort is the enemy of progress,” and it’s clear that Gomez is creatively at the top of her game. In addition to more movie projects on the horizon, Gomez has explored her visual artistry in all of the accompanying music videos of the past year, experimenting with vertical video, and crafting cinematic narratives for songs like ‘Back To You”and ‘Fetish.” The versatile performer also appeared on the Benny Blanco single, ‘I Can’t Get Enough,” also featuring J Balvin, and Tainy and starred in the music video.

Following the success of 2013’s Stars Dance and 2015’s Revival, Gomez delivered her highly anticipated third solo album at the beginning of 2020, Rare, that debuted at No.1 and earned her rave reviews. Rolling Stone called the album, “an act of divine ruthlessness: Gomez dances out the toxins weighing her down and breathes in loads of post-Lizzo “f__k you, I love me” energy.”

In an interview with NPR, Gomez discussed the meaning behind her album’s title, explaining that, “The word has meant so much more to me than just a title of a song. We live in a time where everything is based on your looks and social media and there are so many different channels telling people what they should look like, and how they should do this, do that. And I want to represent a person that is just saying ‘You are who are; you’re unique and you’re rare.’”

Ahead of the LP’s release, Gomez dropped the singles “Lose You To Love Me,” which hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by “Look At Me,” while Rare’s title track was released 10 January, alongside the album.

Now as an adult, Gomez has come into her own, assuming control over her creative choices and taking on more roles that put her in the driver’s seat when it comes to the artistic process, whether it’s songwriting or producing an incredibly sensitive portrayal of young adult struggles in her Netflix series, we can’t wait to see what this young pop prodigy will do next.

Listen to the best of Selena Gomez on Apple Music and Spotify.