Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez (/səˈliːnə ˈɡoʊmɛz/ sə-LEE-nə GOH-mez; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress, producer, and businesswoman.
Selena Gomez began her career as a child actress, starring on the children’s television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004), and rose to prominence as a teen idol, leading as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012).
As a singer, she signed with Hollywood Records in 2008 and formed the pop rock band Selena Gomez & the Scene.
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Selena Gomez
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Selena Gomez in an interview with Vogue in 2024
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Selena Marie Gomez
July 22, 1992 Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S.
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| Years active | 2002–present |
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| Formerly of | Selena Gomez & the Scene |
| Website | selenagomez |
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The band released three studio albums and seven singles, all of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA.
As a solo musician, Gomez released studio albums that debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Her EDM-inspired debut record, Stars Dance (2013), yielded the international top-ten single “Come & Get It”.
Desiring more artistic freedom, Gomez moved to Interscope Records and released the electro pop album Revival (2015), supported by the top-ten singles “Good for You”, “Same Old Love”, and “Hands to Myself”.
Its follow-up, Rare (2020), contained Gomez’s first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “Lose You to Love Me”.
Gomez has released various collaborative singles throughout her career, including “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, “It Ain’t Me”, “Wolves”, “Taki Taki”, and “Calm Down (Remix)”,
The last of which is the most commercially successful Afrobeats song of all time.
Gomez is an established actress and television personality. Her films include Another Cinderella Story (2008), Ramona and Beezus (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), Spring Breakers (2012),
The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), The Dead Don’t Die (2019), A Rainy Day in New York (2019), and Emilia Pérez (2024). She voices Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania film franchise (2012–2022).
Gomez has produced series such as 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020), Living Undocumented (2019), and Selena + Chef (2020–2023), and stars in a lead role in Only Murders in the Building (2021–present).
Her accolades include a Cannes Film Festival Award, an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and two MTV Video Music Awards.
She has been nominated for seven Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards.
As a philanthropist, Gomez has worked with charitable organizations. She advocates for mental health, and gender, racial, and LGBT equality, and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2009.
She founded the cosmetic company Rare Beauty, valued at $2 billion in 2024 and the mental-health non-profit Rare Impact Fund.
Gomez has appeared in listicles such as the Time 100 (2020) and Forbes 30 Under 30 (2016 and 2020), and was named the Billboard Woman of the Year (2017).
Billboard ranked her as one of the most successful artists of the 2010s decade. As of 2024, Gomez is a billionaire and is the most-followed woman on Instagram.
Early life
Selena Gomez was born on July 22, 1992, in Grand Prairie, Texas to Ricardo Joel Gomez and Texas-born former stage actress Mandy Teefey. She was named after Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, who died in 1995.
Her father is of Mexican descent, while her mother, who was adopted, has Italian ancestry. Gomez’s paternal grandparents emigrated to Texas from Monterrey in the 1970s.
Of her heritage, Gomez has said she is “a proud third-generation American-Mexican” and “My family does have quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church.
We do everything that’s Catholic, but we don’t really have anything traditional except go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church.”
Gomez’s Spanish fluency waned after age seven, when she began working on television. Her parents divorced when she was five years old, and she remained with her mother.
Gomez has two younger half-sisters and a younger stepbrother: Gracie Elliot Teefey, through Mandy and her second husband, Brian Teefey, and Victoria “Tori” and Marcus Gomez, through Ricardo and his second wife, Sara.
She earned her high-school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.
Gomez was born when her mother was 16 years old. The family had financial troubles throughout Gomez’s childhood, her mother struggling to provide for the pair.
At one point, Gomez recalls that they had to search for quarters just to get gas for their car.
Her mother later recalled that the two would frequently walk to their local dollar store to buy spaghetti for dinner.
Gomez has said, “I was frustrated that my parents weren’t together, and never saw the light at the end of the tunnel where my mom was working hard to provide a better life for me.
I’m terrified of what I would have become if I’d stayed [in Texas].” She later added that her mother “was really strong around me.
Having me at 16 had to have been a big responsibility. She gave up everything for me, had three jobs, supported me, sacrificed her life for me.”
Gomez had a close relationship with her grandparents as a child and appeared in various pageants.
Her grandparents often took care of her while her parents finished their schooling, and she has said they “raised her” until she found success in show business.
Personal life
Property
Selena Gomez owned a $6.6 million home in Calabasas, Los Angeles. In 2014, she sold her mansion in Tarzana, Los Angeles for $3.5 million.
In 2015, she purchased a mansion in Fort Worth, Texas, for $3.5 million, and in October 2018 the house was sold. In 2020, Gomez moved to a $5 million mansion in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino.
In the same year, she sold her house in Studio City, Los Angeles for $2.3 million.
Religious beliefs
Selena Gomez was raised Catholic. At age 13, she wanted a purity ring, and her father went to the church and had it blessed.
She has said, “He actually used me as an example for other kids: I’m going to keep my promise to myself, to my family and to God.”
Gomez stopped wearing the ring in 2010. In 2017, she said she did not like the term “religion” and that sometimes it “freaks me out,” adding, “I don’t know if it’s necessarily that I believe in religion as much as I believe in faith and a relationship with God.”
In 2014, Gomez said that she listened to “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong United before performing at the 2014 American Music Awards.
In 2016, she appeared at a Hillsong Young & Free concert in Los Angeles, leading worship by singing her song “Nobody”.
When a fan on Twitter asked her who the lyrics to “Nobody” refer to, Gomez replied that they refer to God. She also covered Hillsong Worship’s song “Transfiguration” during her Revival Tour.
As of 2020, she attends a different congregation in California, the Hillsong Church, and has said that she does not consider herself religious, but is more concerned with her faith and connection to God.
Health
Gomez was diagnosed with lupus sometime between 2012 and early 2014.
In September 2017, she revealed on Instagram that she had withdrawn from public events during the previous few months because she had received a kidney transplant from actress and friend Francia Raisa.
During the transplant, an artery broke and emergency surgery was conducted to build a new artery using a vein from her leg.
Gomez has been open about her struggles with both anxiety and depression. She began pursuing therapy in her early twenties and also spent time in treatment facilities.
When she reached 100 million Instagram followers, Gomez said she “sort of freaked out” and has since taken several extended breaks from social media, due in part to negative comments.
In April 2020, she revealed she has bipolar disorder.
In October 2022, Gomez canceled an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon after testing positive for COVID-19. In November 2022, she revealed that she had an episode of psychosis in 2018.
Relationships
Gomez dated singer Nick Jonas in 2008. She appeared in the music video for his band’s song “Burnin’ Up”. From December 2010 to March 2018, Gomez was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Canadian singer Justin Bieber.
In 2015, she began dating Russian-German DJ Zedd shortly after recording their song “I Want You to Know”. They broke up later that year. In January 2017, Gomez began dating Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd.
They moved in together temporarily later on in September, but broke up a month later. In December 2023, Gomez confirmed she is in a relationship with American record producer Benny Blanco.
Achievements
Gomez has won various awards including: an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, 16 Guinness World Records,
Three iHeartRadio Music Awards, six Latin American Music Awards (she is the third most-awarded female artist), three MTV Movie & TV Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and five People’s Choice Awards.
For her music work, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year as featuring artist) and a Latin Grammy Award.
For her acting work, she won a Satellite Award, and was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award, two Golden Globe Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
As a producer, she was nominated for four Emmy Awards including: at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, Gomez was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series,
Marking only the third time a Latina has ever been among the producing nominees for comedy series in the awards’ history, and she was nominated for this award again at the succeeding ceremony, and for a Daytime Emmy Award.
With 18 wins, Gomez is the fourth-most awarded solo artist at the Teen Choice Awards. She currently holds the record for the most Kids’ Choice Awards wins (12) for an individual.
In addition, she has also won numerous awards for her philanthropic, charity work and mental health advocacy, including the McLean Award, the Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab Award,
The Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion from the Ruderman Family Foundation, and the Art Award from Hispanic Heritage Foundation for her impact on global culture via her music, filmography and advocacy.
Gomez has been included in many prestigious lists and has been awarded by prestigious publications and magazines.
In 2015, Gomez was honored with the Chart-Topper Award at the Billboard Women in Music event.
The following year, she was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the music category, and again in 2020 in its “All-Star Alumni” category.
Billboard named Gomez the Woman of the Year in 2017, included her in its list of Greatest of All Time Pop Songs Artists in 2018, and named her one of the 100 most successful artists of the 2010s in 2019.
Time included her on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2020. In the same year, she was also honored as one of the Leading Ladies of Entertainment by The Latin Recording Academy.
From 2022-2023, The Hollywood Reporter included her on its annual list of the 100 most powerful women in entertainment.
Gomez has broken many varieties of world records. In 2016, she was the most-followed person on Instagram and became the first person to reach 100 million followers on it.
In February 2023, she regained her status as the most-followed woman on Instagram, and became the first woman to reach 400 million followers on it the following month.
She is one of the most-followed people on Twitter, Spotify, Facebook, and TikTok. Gomez has topped three three consecutive times the Billboard 200, and one time the Billboard Hot 100, and Billboard Artist 100.
As of May 2017, she has sold 24.3 million songs in the United States, and as of August 2023, she has sold 3.6 million albums in the U.S., and shifted more than 11.5 million album equivalent units.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she has achieved 63 million certified units in the U.S. She is one of the most-streamed artists on Spotify Globally.
Six of Gomez’s songs have reached over one billion streams on Spotify, and two of her music videos have reached over two billion views on YouTube (“We Don’t Talk Anymore” is the most-viewed music video published in 2016 on it).
Gomez performing on The Today Show in 2015
Filmography
According to the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Selena Gomez’s most critically acclaimed television and film projects include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2006), Hannah Montana (2007),
Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012), Another Cinderella Story (2008), Princess Protection Program (2009), Ramona and Beezus (2010), The Muppets (2011), Spring Breakers (2012),
Hotel Transylvania (2012–2022), Girl Rising (2013), The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex (2013), Rudderless (2014), The Fundamentals of Caring (2016),
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), The Dead Don’t Die (2019), A Rainy Day in New York (2019),
Selena + Chef (2020–2023), Only Murders in the Building (2021–present), Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022), and Emilia Pérez (2024).
Gomez also executive produced the television series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020) and Living Undocumented (2019).
Artistry
Musical style
Selena Gomez is described as a pop artist. Her work is primarily characterized as dance-pop and EDM; however, she has experimented with different music genres.
Her debut album with the Scene was influenced by electronic rock and pop rock, while her subsequent records with the band opted for a dance-pop sound.
A Year Without Rain noted synth-pop characteristics, and When the Sun Goes Down featured a more electro-pop and electro-disco musical direction.
Her debut solo album Stars Dance was rooted in the EDM-pop genre—Gomez herself described it as “baby dubstep”—drawing elements from electronic, disco, techno, and dancehall.
Her songs “The Heart Wants What It Wants” and “Good for You” have been described as “minimalistic” and “grown-up”, introducing a more adult pop sound into her repertoire.
Gomez at the 2019 American Music Awards
Influences
Early in her career, Gomez cited Bruno Mars as an influence for “his style of music, his style in general, the way he performs, the way he carries himself”.
Gomez has also cited Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift as influences.
Gomez’s debut solo album Stars Dance (2013) was prominently influenced by Spears, Swift, and EDM producer Skrillex;
Her second album, Revival, was mainly inspired by Aguilera’s album Stripped (2002), as well as Janet Jackson and Spears.
Songwriting
In regard to Selena Gomez’s writing craft, co-writer Ali Tamposi revealed the following to Elle: “We actually started writing another song together while we were in the studio with Andrew Watt and I was really impressed by her collaboration, her ideas,
How open she was and willing to tap into a place that is scary with having the power that she has over so many people—to really be honest with her lyrics,”
“She’s extremely collaborative and she has great ideas. We’ll just talk. I’ve only had the chance to get in with her once, [but] I’m sure we’ll be working together, hopefully, in the future.
But she comes up with tons of ideas and concepts, and she’s a really great writer. It just flows naturally, and we just write on the guitar.”
During a conversation with Amy Schumer for Interview Magazine, Gomez candidly opened up about the writing process for her hit song, “Lose You to Love Me.” Gomez said: “I wrote it at the beginning of last year, and had just gotten out of treatment.
It was a moment when I came back and I was like, “I’m ready to go into the studio with people I trust and start working on songs.”
There was an air around it where people were very happy, because it was like I was going to finally be me. But I didn’t necessarily see it that way at the time.
When I wrote the song, I was basically saying that I needed to hit rock-bottom to understand that there was this huge veil over my face.”
On The Kelly Clarkson Show, Selena Gomez opened up about processing her own feelings through songwriting, calling it “the best therapy.”
In a conversation with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Gomez was joined by Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter to talk about the creative process, incl. collaborative songwriting for her album, Rare.
Gomez co-wrote every song on that album.
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Discography
Selena Gomez & the Scene albums
- Kiss & Tell (2009)
- A Year Without Rain (2010)
- When the Sun Goes Down (2011)
- Solo albums
- Stars Dance (2013)
- Revival (2015)
- Rare (2020)
Tours
- Selena Gomez & the Scene tours
- Live in Concert (2009–2010)
- A Year Without Rain Tour (2010–2011)
- We Own the Night Tour (2011–2012)
- Solo tours
- Stars Dance Tour (2013–2014)
- Revival Tour (2016)
