Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and producer. Gomez began her career as a child actress on the children's television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004), and emerged as a teen idol for her leading role as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012). Gomez signed with Hollywood Records in 2008 and formed the band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which released three albums: Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011).
Gomez has released three solo albums. The first of these, Stars Dance (2013), featured
"Come & Get It". She followed it with Revival (2015), and reached the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100 with its singles "Good for You" and "Same Old Love". Rare (2020) produced the US number-one single "Lose You to Love Me". She also launched the Spanish EP Revelación (2021) and her fourth album I Said I Love You First (2025) with her husband Benny Blanco. Other collaborations include "We Don't Talk Anymore", "It Ain't Me", "Wolves", "Taki Taki" and "Calm Down".
She has starred in films, including Another Cinderella Story (2008), Monte Carlo (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), Hotel Transylvania film franchise (2012–2022), The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), The Dead Don't Die (2019), and Emilia Pérez (2024). Gomez has produced series such as 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020), and Selena + Chef (2020–2023), and has played a lead role in Only Murders in the Building since 2021. Her accolades include an Actor Award, an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, two MTV Video Music Awards and 16 Guinness World Records.
Gomez is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and advocates for mental health and equality. She founded the cosmetic company Rare Beauty, which was valued at $2 billion, and the Rare Impact Fund. Recognized in listicles such as the Forbes 30 Under 30 (2016 and 2020) and Time 100 (2020), she has received various awards and honors, including Billboard's Woman of the Year (2017), and Latin Woman of the Year (2025). She is the most-followed woman on Instagram and one of the wealthiest musicians.
Early life
Selena Marie Gomez was born on July 22, 1992, in Grand Prairie, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Her parents are Ricardo Joel Gomez and Texas-born former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" (née Cornett) Teefey. She was named after Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla. Her father is of Mexican descent, while her mother, who was adopted, has Italian ancestry. Gomez's paternal grandparents emigrated to Texas from Monterrey, Mexico in the 1970s. She has called herself "a proud third-generation American-Mexican", and once said: "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." Her Spanish fluency waned after age seven, when she began working on television.
Gomez's parents divorced when she was five years old, and she remained with her mother. Her mother and stepfather, Brian Teefey, later had a daughter, Gracie Elliot Teefey, born in 2013. Through her father and his second wife, Sara, she has a half-sister, Victoria "Tori" Gomez, and a stepbrother named Marcus. For most of her childhood, she was homeschooled, save for a brief period when she attended a traditional school as a young girl. She earned her high-school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.
Gomez was born when her mother was 16 years old. The family faced financial difficulties during her childhood, with her mother struggling to provide for the pair. Gomez recalled that they once searched for quarters to buy gasoline for their car, and her mother later said they often walked to a nearby 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.
Career
2002–2006: Career beginnings
Gomez first gained an interest in pursuing a career in entertainment watching her mother prepare for stage productions. In 2002, she began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends. She appeared in thirteen episodes between 2002 and 2004, as well as in two related direct-to-video films. Reflecting on the experience, she said, "I was very shy when I was little [...] I didn't know what 'camera right' was. I didn't know what blocking was. I learned everything from Barney." After two seasons, she left the show when producers felt she had outgrown the role. Gomez later had small roles in the family film Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and the made-for-television film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005), and guest-starred in a 2006 episode of the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
2007–2012: Breakthrough with Disney and Selena Gomez & the Scene
Gomez had a recurring role on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana in 2007 as Mikayla, a rival pop star. She rose to prominence later that year after being cast in the lead role of Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place. Gomez and her mother subsequently moved to Los Angeles. The series premiered in October 2007 and ran for four seasons. It became a major success for the network and established Gomez as a teen idol. The show received positive reviews, with critics highlighting Gomez's sarcastic delivery; Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times described her as "sweet and sassy" with "great comic timing". For her performance, she earned an ALMA Award and five consecutive Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actress.
In 2008, Gomez had a minor voice role in the animated film Horton Hears a Who!. She also starred as Mary Santiago, an aspiring dancer, in the direct-to-video teen musical comedy film Another Cinderella Story, the second installment in the A Cinderella Story series. Her performance earned her a Young Artist Award. She contributed songs to the film's soundtrack, including her debut single "Tell Me Something I Don't Know", which marked her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. At age 16, Gomez signed with Hollywood Records, and formed the production company July Moon Productions.
Gomez continued working with Disney Channel in 2009, appearing in Sonny with a Chance and the crossover event Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana. She also co-starred with Demi Lovato in the television film Princess Protection Program, and reprised her role as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. The latter premiered in August to 11.4 million viewers and became the second-highest-rated cable television film of all time, behind High School Musical 2. Roxana Hadadi of The Washington Post wrote that the film was carried by the performances of its young leads—Gomez, David Henrie and Jake T. Austin. Gomez also recorded songs for the franchise's soundtrack, including "Magic", and voiced Princess Selenia in two films from Luc Besson's Arthur series.
Under her Hollywood Records contract, Gomez formed the band Selena Gomez & the Scene. She had initially said that she wanted a band project rather than a solo act, but the label preferred to attach her name to the group because of her existing "fan base". The group released three studio albums—Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011)—which peaked at numbers nine, four, and three, respectively, on the US Billboard 200. They found mainstream success with singles such as "Naturally", "Who Says", and "Love You Like a Love Song". Billboard later ranked the lattermost as the biggest hit to peak at number twenty-two in the US.
Gomez expanded into feature film roles with the family comedy Ramona and Beezus (2010), based on Beverly Cleary's Ramona series, in which she starred opposite Joey King as Beezus Quimby. The film was well received by critics; Roger Ebert described it as "a sweet salute" and found both actresses "appealing". In 2011, she starred in the romantic comedy Monte Carlo, playing dual roles as Grace and her lookalike, British heiress Cordelia Winthrop-Scott, alongside Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy. The film received mixed reviews, and critics were divided on Gomez's performance, with some finding her portrayal of Cordelia unconvincing. She also made a cameo appearance in the film The Muppets.
2012–2014: Stars Dance and films
During 2012, Selena Gomez & the Scene went on hiatus, which ultimately became a permanent split. Gomez described her time with the band as an "exploratory period" before deciding to pursue a solo music career. That year, Wizards of Waverly Place ended its run on the Disney Channel after four seasons. Gomez next sought projects that moved her beyond her Disney image. She starred in Harmony Korine's independent crime film Spring Breakers (2012), alongside James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine. The film premiered at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, and was released in March 2013. Gomez portrayed Faith, a religious college student whose spring break trip takes a criminal turn. Spring Breakers received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed US$31.7 million worldwide against a budget of US$5 million. It was later described as a cult classic. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that the film gave Gomez "the chance to simulate the behavior that feeds the tabloids" without the "humiliations" or "career-crushing price" associated with it.
Gomez voiced Mavis Dracula in the animated film Hotel Transylvania. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012, and was released theatrically later that month to mixed reviews. It was commercially successful, grossing US$358 million worldwide. In 2013, she starred opposite Ethan Hawke in the action thriller Getaway, playing a young hacker. The film was widely panned by critics and became a box-office bomb, with some critics describing her as miscast. That year, she served as executive producer and reprised her role as Alex Russo in the Disney Channel television special The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex.
Despite earlier claims that she would take a break from music, Gomez released "Come & Get It" in April 2013 as the lead single from her solo debut album. It became her first top-ten entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number six, and also reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. The song later won Best Pop Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The album, Stars Dance, was released in July 2013. Rooted in EDM and electropop, it debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 97,000 copies, and also reached number one in Canada. The record received mixed reviews from music critics, some of whom felt she had yet to establish a distinct musical identity. Its second single, "Slow Down", achieved moderate success.
Gomez embarked on her Stars Dance Tour in August 2013. After performing in North America and Europe, she canceled the Australian and Asian legs of the tour in December 2013, wanting to take time for herself. In January 2014, it was reported that she had spent two weeks in treatment at the Meadows facility in Arizona. She later revealed in 2015 that she was diagnosed with lupus and underwent chemotherapy, leading her to cancel tour dates in 2013.
In 2014, Gomez had a supporting role in the drama Rudderless, the directorial debut of William H. Macy, and starred in the teen comedy Behaving Badly. The former received mixed reviews, while the latter was critically panned, though critics deemed Gomez's performance superior to the film. That year, she ended her management arrangement with her mother and stepfather, who had managed her since her Disney years. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the move reflected a strategy to pursue more adult-oriented work in film and music. She subsequently signed with the WME and Brillstein companies to manage her career.
In November 2014, Gomez released the single "The Heart Wants What It Wants" and confirmed that she would issue a compilation album to complete her contract with Hollywood Records. "The Heart Wants What It Wants" peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her second top-ten hit in the US. Later that month, she released her first greatest hits album, For You, which debuted at number twenty-four in the US. Gomez officially parted ways with Hollywood Records and signed with Interscope Records in December 2014.
2015–2016: Revival
While working on her then-upcoming second studio album, Gomez collaborated with German DJ and producer Zedd on "I Want You to Know", released in February 2015, which peaked at number seventeen in the US. Later that year, she reprised her voice role as Mavis in Hotel Transylvania 2; the film received mixed reviews and was a commercial success, grossing US$475 million worldwide. She also made a cameo appearance in Adam McKay's film The Big Short.
Gomez released her second studio album, Revival, in October 2015. Primarily a dance-pop and electropop record with R&B influences, it received positive reviews from critics, who praised its production and lyrical content. Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos described the album as "the sound of a newly empowered pop artist growing into her strengths like never before." Some critics later described Revival as an influential pop album of the 2010s. The album opened at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 117,000 album units in its first week. Its lead single, "Good for You" featuring rapper ASAP Rocky, debuted at number one on the Digital Song Sales chart with first-week sales of 179,000 copies—the highest sales week of her career for a single. The album's first three singles—"Good for You", "Same Old Love", and "Hands to Myself"—each reached the top ten in the US and topped the Pop Airplay chart, making Gomez the sixth woman to achieve three Pop Airplay number-ones from a single set. "Kill Em with Kindness" was released as the album's fourth single. Gomez received the Chart-Topper Award at the Billboard Women in Music event.
In 2016, Gomez continued promoting Revival, appearing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. She also continued acting, starring opposite Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts in the comedy-drama The Fundamentals of Caring. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix in June 2016. It received positive reviews from critics. She also appeared in the comedy film Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and had a supporting role in James Franco's drama film In Dubious Battle, which premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival to mixed reviews.
Gomez embarked on her worldwide Revival Tour in May 2016. She began working on her third studio album while touring and added a new song titled "Feel Me" to the tour's setlist; it was later released in 2020. After touring North America, Asia and Oceania, she canceled her European and South American dates in August 2016 to seek treatment for anxiety, panic attacks and depression caused by lupus. She subsequently entered a treatment facility, where she remained for 90 days. That year, Gomez was featured on Charlie Puth's single "We Don't Talk Anymore", an international success that reached the top ten in the US, Australia, France and Spain, and topped the chart in Italy. She also appeared on Cashmere Cat's "Trust Nobody". In November 2016, Gomez made her first public appearance in several months at the American Music Awards, where she won Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and was nominated for Artist of the Year. She also received two Billboard Music Award nominations, including Top Female Artist.
2017–2019: Standalone releases and 13 Reasons Why
Gomez and Norwegian DJ and producer Kygo released the single "It Ain't Me" in February 2017. The collaboration reached the top ten on most major music charts worldwide, including the US and the UK, and attained top-five peaks in Australia, Canada, Germany and many European countries. It later received nominations for Top Dance/Electronic Song at the Billboard Music Awards and Best Dance at the MTV Video Music Awards. In May, Gomez released the single "Bad Liar", accompanied by a vertical music video available exclusively on Spotify; it was the first music video to premiere on the platform. The song peaked at number twenty in the US, and received widespread critical acclaim, with some deeming it Gomez's best song to date; Billboard ranked it as the best song of 2017. She followed it with "Fetish" featuring rapper Gucci Mane, and "Wolves" with Marshmello, which reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, the UK, and several European countries, while peaking at number twenty in the US. Later that year, Gomez was named Billboard's Woman of the Year.
Gomez also served as an executive producer on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, an adaptation of Jay Asher's novel. She had initially been attached to portray Hannah Baker in a planned film adaptation before the project shifted to television, with Gomez remaining involved as an executive producer. The series premiered in March 2017. It drew criticism from mental health and suicide-prevention groups over its handling of sensitive themes. Gomez addressed the controversy, saying that the production aimed to remain faithful to the book and "do it justice," adding that backlash was inevitable and that "it's not an easy subject to talk about." Critical reception was positive for the first season but generally negative for the subsequent seasons. 13 Reasons Why was the most-watched original streaming series of 2018, and concluded after four seasons in June 2020.
Gomez continued this period of standalone releases with "Back to You", issued in May 2018 for the soundtrack to the second season of 13 Reasons Why. It reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and several European countries, and peaked within the top twenty in the US and the UK. In July, Gomez reprised the voice role of Mavis in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. The film received mixed reviews and was a commercial success, grossing US$528 million worldwide. Later that year, she featured on DJ Snake's single "Taki Taki" alongside Ozuna and Cardi B. The single achieved global success, reaching the top ten in Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, topping the charts in Spain and several Latin American countries, while peaking at number eleven in the US. The song received nominations for Best Dance at the MTV Video Music Awards, and two Billboard Music Awards nominations. In 2019, Gomez featured on Julia Michaels's "Anxiety", and "I Can't Get Enough" with Benny Blanco, Tainy and J Balvin. Billboard noted that these standalone releases sustained her prominence throughout the streaming era.
Gomez was part of the ensemble cast of Jim Jarmusch's comedy horror The Dead Don't Die (2019). The film premiered as the opening film at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and received mixed reviews. That year, she also starred in Woody Allen's romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York, alongside Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning. Amid renewed attention to the 1992 sexual abuse allegation against Allen prompted by the MeToo movement, Gomez donated over $1 million—more than her salary from the film—to the Time's Up initiative. The film garnered mixed reviews, but Gomez's performance was praised; Jessica Kiang of Variety wrote that she "comes out the best of the younger cast, husking her way through some of the film's better lines."
Gomez served as an executive producer for the Netflix docuseries Living Undocumented, released in October 2019, which follows eight undocumented families in the US. In an op-ed for Time, she wrote that she joined the project after viewing footage that captured the "shame, uncertainty, and fear" her own family had experienced, as well as the "hope, optimism, and patriotism" many undocumented immigrants still hold.
2020–2023: Rare, Revelación, and Only Murders in the Building
Gomez released her third studio album, Rare, in January 2020. Primarily a dance-pop record, it incorporates elements of R&B and electronic music. Critics responded positively, praising its production and cohesiveness, with several publications describing it as Gomez's best album to date. Jem Aswad of Variety labeled Rare "one of the best pop albums to be released in recent memory". The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 112,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming her third consecutive number-one album in the US. It also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and several territories, and peaked at number two in the UK. Rare was supported by the lead single "Lose You to Love Me", followed by the promotional single "Look at Her Now". "Lose You to Love Me" became Gomez's first number-one song in the US and Canada, and reached the top five on various national charts, including Australia and the UK. Two other singles were the title track and "Boyfriend".
Beyond music, Gomez had a voice role in the adventure film Dolittle (2020). She then hosted and executive produced the HBO Max cooking show Selena + Chef, which premiered in August 2020 and was initially filmed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series ran for four seasons, and later expanded into additional Food Network spin-offs. Her work across the franchise earned her three nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program. Gomez was also featured on the remix of Trevor Daniel's "Past Life", and collaborated with South Korean girl group Blackpink on "Ice Cream", which peaked at number thirteen in the US, and reached the top ten on the Billboard Global 200 and in South Korea. In 2020, she also executive produced two films: the teen comedy-drama This Is the Year, and the romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery; the latter received positive reviews from critics. That year, Gomez was honored by The Latin Recording Academy as one of the Leading Ladies of Entertainment, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Gomez released her first Spanish-language project, an EP titled Revelación, in March 2021. Incorporating reggaeton and latin pop with urbano elements, the project marked a stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of Rare. It debuted atop the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, becoming the first album by a female act to top the chart since Shakira's El Dorado in 2017. The EP received positive reviews, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. It was supported by the singles "Baila Conmigo" with Rauw Alejandro, and "Selfish Love" with DJ Snake. With Revelación and "Baila Conmigo", she became the first female act to top the US Latin Albums and Latin Airplay charts simultaneously in over a decade. The music video for "De Una Vez" was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. In August, Gomez collaborated with Colombian singer Camilo on the single "999".
Gomez starred in and executive produced the mystery-comedy series Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, portraying Mabel Mora. The series premiered in August 2021 and set a record as Hulu's most-watched comedy premiere day. Ahead of the premiere, Gomez said she felt more in control of her return to television, naming the sophistication of the material as her main reason for joining the series and noting that she appreciated being cast as a character her own age. The series has received critical acclaim since its debut, with critics highlighting the chemistry among the three leads, and Gomez's dry, deadpan delivery. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Gomez is a true co-star in the series and does a superb job of meshing with Martin and Short to form one of the more entertaining albeit unlikely friendship trios in recent memory." For her performance, Gomez won the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, and received nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award and the Primetime Emmy Award, as well as four Golden Globe Award nominations, all for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The cast won the SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2025. As an executive producer, Gomez has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Gomez reprised her voice role as Mavis and served as an executive producer for the animated film Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. The film was released on Amazon Prime Video in January 2022 to mixed reviews. She collaborated with Coldplay on "Let Somebody Go", released as a single in February. In May, she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live. She also executive produced the ViX+ docuseries Mi vecino, el cartel.
In August 2022, Gomez was featured on the remix of Nigerian singer Rema's single "Calm Down". The song became an international hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Global 200 and the Hot 100. It marked Gomez's ninth top-ten entry in the US and her second number-one hit in Canada. In the US, the song topped Billboard's all-genre Radio Songs chart for ten weeks and set a record as the longest-running number-one in the history of the US Afrobeats Songs chart. It also became the longest-charting song both in the top ten and overall on Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. Billboard described the track as "Afrobeats' biggest crossover hit." According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it was the second best-selling song worldwide of 2023. At the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, it received five nominations, winning Top Afrobeats Song, and won Best Afrobeats at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Gomez was the subject of the documentary film Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, directed by Alek Keshishian. The film premiered at the AFI Fest in November 2022, and was subsequently released on Apple TV+ and in select theaters. It was met with a positive critical reception upon release, with critics noting its candid approach to mental health. Gomez released the song "My Mind & Me" to coincide with the documentary. In August, she released the standalone single "Single Soon". It reached the top twenty on the Billboard Global 200 and in the US.
2024–present: Continued acting and I Said I Love You First
In January 2024, Gomez admitted to having a preference for acting over music and mentioned having "one more album in me". She said she had "never really intended on being a singer full-time", but "that hobby" evolved into a career during her days working with Disney. Gomez later clarified that "music isn't going away" and that she had "just set it down for a second". In February, she released the standalone single "Love On".
Gomez starred in Jacques Audiard's Spanish-language musical crime film Emilia Pérez, portraying Jessi, the wife of the title character, a former cartel leader. She took Spanish lessons for the role. The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where Gomez and her co-stars—Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz, and Zoe Saldaña—jointly won the Best Actress Award. It received generally positive reviews, though it drew criticism for its depiction of Mexico and transgender identity. Critics praised Gomez's presence and emotional range, while some criticized her Spanish pronunciation. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter noted that although her role is less central, she "plays both the hard edges and the vulnerability of a woman whose life has been uprooted twice and who needs to find her own happiness, even if it sets her on a dangerous path." Gomez received nominations for the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, while the ensemble cast was nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a SAG Award. She also performed two songs for the film's soundtrack, including "Mi camino".
Gomez co-produced and appeared in the documentary Louder: The Soundtrack of Change, released on HBO Max in October 2024. She returned to the Wizards of Waverly Place franchise as an executive producer and guest star on Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, reprising her role as Alex Russo. The series premiered on Disney Channel and Disney+ in October 2024. It was later announced that the series would conclude with a third and final season, slated for summer 2026, with Gomez making her directorial debut on the premiere episode.
In March 2025, Gomez and record producer Benny Blanco released the collaborative album I Said I Love You First. It received generally favorable reviews and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, with 120,000 units, marking the largest sales week of Gomez's career. It also debuted within the top five in several countries, including Australia, Germany, and the UK. The album was supported by the singles "Call Me When You Break Up" with Gracie Abrams, "Sunset Blvd", and "Ojos Tristes" with The Marías. The track "Bluest Flame" received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Pop Recording. In April, Gomez was named Billboard Latin Women of the Year. Later that year, she released the single "In the Dark" for the soundtrack to the second season of the Netflix series Nobody Wants This.
On May 17, 2026, Gomez was confirmed to star in director Brady Corbet‘s next film alongside Cate Blanchett.
Artistry
Acting approach
Gomez's performance as Alex Russo was noted for its comic timing and sarcastic edge, which helped distinguish Wizards of Waverly Place from comparable youth-oriented sitcoms. In later years, critics described her comic delivery as dry and deadpan, particularly when portraying Mabel Mora in Only Murders in the Building. She compared Mabel Mora to "an older version" of Alex Russo, while People noted that both characters share a dry, sarcastic wit. Steve Martin praised Gomez's approach to performance, saying that she understood that "quiet acting is powerful acting".
Gomez has expressed a preference for working with auteur filmmakers and taking on unconventional supporting roles. She described her role in Spring Breakers as a turning point in her acting career. When accepting the Spotlight Award at the 2024 IndieWire honors, Gomez mentioned having long been drawn to independent film and credited directors such as Harmony Korine, Jim Jarmusch, and Jacques Audiard with helping shape her as an actress. She also has discussed preferring smaller parts in distinctive films over more conventional leading roles, saying "I'd rather have four scenes in a Martin Scorsese film" than star in a standard coming-of-age romance.
Musical style
Gomez is a pop artist whose music primarily encompasses dance-pop. Her early recordings with Selena Gomez & the Scene incorporated electronic rock and pop rock influences, before transitioning toward dance-pop and electropop on later releases. Stars Dance adopted an EDM-pop sound incorporating electronic, disco, techno, and dancehall influences, which she described as "baby dubstep". The 2014 single "The Heart Wants What It Wants" has been described as a turning point in her musical direction, introducing darker themes and more personal lyrical subject matter.
Revival incorporated dance-pop, electropop, and R&B influences, and was described as marking a more mature artistic phase in Gomez's career. Gomez said she was more creatively involved in the album's writing process than on her previous releases. Billboard wrote that Revival helped define her restrained vocal style, often described as "soft, delicate, husky, and whispery", and linked the album to mainstream pop's mid-2010s shift away from EDM maximalism toward softer, R&B-inflected production. Its follow-up, Rare, was noted for its more personal and introspective themes inspired by Gomez's experiences, while her Spanish-language EP Revelación explored reggaeton, Latin pop, and urbano influences. Critics have highlighted Gomez's artistic versatility; Entertainment Weekly critic Marcus Jones described her as "a far more versatile musician than she's been given credit for".
Writing for The Guardian, Peter Robinson credited Gomez with popularizing so-called "whisper pop", a style characterized by soft and hushed vocal performances; songs such as "Good for You" and "Bad Liar" were described as representing the apotheosis of the style. Other songwriting briefs reportedly sought a "Selena whisper sound". Producer Tainy described her voice as distinctive and said that she conveys emotion through "subtlety" rather than power. Gomez has said that her strengths as a singer lie in storytelling and performing in a lower vocal register with a softer tone. Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield observed that Gomez often sings about her emotions with a sense of vulnerability and described her lyrics as forming an "awesomely contorted private language" that is instantly recognizable.
Influences
Gomez grew up listening to artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, and NSYNC. She has cited Spears as a major inspiration for her performances and described her as a "huge inspiration" when she sought to shed her Disney image. Spears and Jackson also influenced the dance-focused concept of the Stars Dance Tour, while EDM producer Skrillex influenced the sound of Stars Dance, particularly through his work on the Spring Breakers score. Gomez has described Aguilera's Stripped (2002) as a favorite album and an influence on the conceptual approach behind Revival. For Revelación, Gomez drew on her interest in reggaeton and cited artists such as Nicky Jam, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Ozuna and Bad Bunny among her favorites.