Selena Gomez has a lot of titles and accomplishments under her belt. As a multi-faceted young woman who dabbles in a variety of projects, Gomez’s popularity should come as no surprise by now. More than just an actress and singer, she has made a reputable name for herself despite all the odds and challenges against her.
Though she is an all-around entertainer under the spotlight, there is much more to Gomez than what meets the eye. Let’s take a look at her journey to fame — from her humble beginnings to her celebrity status today.
Who Is Selena Gomez?
Fast Facts:
- Full Name: Selena Marie Gomez
- Birthday: July 22, 1992
- Place of Birth: Grand Prairie, Texas
- Ethnicity: American-Mexican
- Parents: Ricardo Joel Gomez (Father), Amanda Dawn Cornett (Mother)
- Height: 5 ft 5 in / 1.65 m
- Weight: 130 pounds / 59kg
- Age: 28 years old (As of 2020)
- Horoscope: Cancer
Born on July 22, 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas, Selena Marie Gomez is the daughter of Texas-born Amanda Cornett — who is a former stage actress — and Ricardo Gomez. Whereas her father is of Mexican descent, Gomez’s mother — though adopted — comes from an Italian ancestry. Gomez, meanwhile, identifies as a “third-generation American-Mexican.” She was even named after famous Tejano singer, Selena Quintanilla, who passed away in 1995.
When Gomez was five years old, her parents divorced, and she remained in her mother’s care. Through her parents’ respective second marriages, Gomez has two younger half-sisters: Gracie Elliot Teefey and Victoria “Tori” Gomez.
Though Gomez grew up with her mother, their life was not an easy one. As Gomez was born when her mother was only 16 years old, their family faced a number of financial issues. Gomez’s mother thus struggled to provide for her two daughters. This was something Gomez did not take for granted growing up, as she was aware of the sacrifices her mother had to make as a young mom.
As a child, Gomez had already established a very close and personal relationship with her grandparents. With their support, she was able to make appearances in several beauty pageants as she was growing up. Her grandparents often had to step in and look after Gomez while her parents completed their own education.
Early Interest in Entertainment
Having watched her mother prepare for stage productions, it was inevitable that Gomez began showing an interest in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry herself. She started auditioning for different roles, one of which brought her to meeting future fellow Disney star Demi Lovato. Both Lovato and Gomez were cast in Barney & Friends in 2002. On the show, Gomez portrayed the character Gianna. The show ultimately gave Gomez her first taste of acting.
The young actress stayed on Barney & Friends until 2004, as the show’s producers eventually let her go on claims that she was becoming “too old” for the series. Though her stint on Barney & Friends came to a close, this was only the beginning for Gomez’s road to stardom.
Selena Gomez Career
Selena Gomez Movies and TV Shows
Beyond Barney & Friends, Gomez also made a cameo appearance in 2003’s Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. She also appeared in the television film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire in 2005. This was followed by a guest appearance in the Disney show The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in 2006. The Suite Life of Zack & Cody would not be Gomez’s last foray into the Disney world, though, as she would later find her breakthrough in another Disney project in the future.
Breakthrough with Disney
After her guest appearance on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Gomez then had a recurring role as pop star Mikayla in Hannah Montana. But, it wasn’t until she took on the lead role as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place did the actress become a household name at Disney.
Gomez subsequently reached mainstream success with Wizards of Waverly Place. She continued to star several other Disney projects in the years to come. These include a guest appearance in Sonny with a Chance, as well as a crossover episode with The Suite Life on Deck. Additionally, Gomez reunited with Demi Lovato in the Disney Channel film Princess Protection Program in 2009. The film was a critical success and garnered 8.5 million viewers in total during its premiere.
Beyond acting roles, Gomez also began to dabble in music. While working on Wizards of Waverly Place, she had a cover song in the compilation album DisneyMania6. Furthermore, Gomez recorded the original song “Fly to Your Heart,” which was for the soundtrack of the animated film Tinker Bell. Then, in addition to starring in the direct-to-video film Another Cinderella Story, Gomez also recorded three songs for the movie’s soundtrack.
Foray Into Music
By age 16, Gomez had a recording contract with the Hollywood Records label. In an attempt to further establish a crossover into the music scene, she formed the pop-rock band Selena Gomez & the Scene in 2008.
An American pop-rock band, Selena Gomez & the Scene released three studio albums during their time together. They released seven singles and nine music videos as well. The band’s first album, Kiss & Tell, came out in 2009. It debuted at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200, and the band sold 66,000 copies during the album’s first week.
Selena Gomez & the Scene received several nominations and accolades while they were active. Besides having six Teen Choice Awards under their belt, they also have a People’s Choice Award for Breakout Group, which they took home in 2011. Ultimately, they disbanded after Gomez chose to focus on her solo career as an actress and singer.
Selena Gomez Movies
In 2012, after four seasons, Wizards of Waverly Place came to a close on the Disney Channel. This gave Gomez the opportunity to explore new roles and pursue other film projects. First off, she starred in the animated film Hotel Transylvania. In the film, Gomez voices Mavis Dracula, the daughter of Adam Sandler’s Count “Drac” Dracula.
2013 saw a more mature role for Gomez, as she starred in the controversial American crime film Spring Breakers. Gomez, alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine, portray a group of college-aged girls on their spring break. There, they encounter local drug dealer Alien — portrayed by James Franco — who comes to their aid and introduces them to the world of drugs and crime.
Although it received generally positive reviews, Spring Breakers also generated some controversy due to its objectification of women. The film contains some explicit sexual content and The Guardian even believes it reinforces rape culture. Spring Breakers was so intense that it reportedly drove Gomez to a meltdown while filming on set.
Selena Gomez Songs and Solo Career
Solo Debut Album
Despite announcing in January 2012 that she would be taking a break from her music career, Gomez later confirmed in October of the same year that she was working on new music. In April 2013, she released “Come & Get It,” the lead single of her first solo album. Notably, “Come & Get It” became Gomez’s first top 10 entry in the Billboard Hot 100.
July 2013 marked the release of Gomez’s first solo studio album. Entitled Stars Dance, it became her first album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200. Furthermore, Stars Dance featured elements of dubstep, disco, and techno. Although it received mixed reviews from music critics, Stars Dance went on to sell 97,000 copies in its first week alone.
To promote her debut solo album, Gomez embarked on the Stars Dance Tour. However, the singer had to cancel the Australian and Asian leg of the tour. It was later revealed that the reason behind the abrupt cut off of the tour was because Gomez checked into a treatment center in Arizona.
Revival and Other Projects
Meanwhile, Gomez’s second studio album Revival was released in 2015. It was a Billboard 200 chart-topper. Notably, it was Gomez’s first album after signing to a new record label, Interscope Records, in December 2014.
In contrast to Stars Dance, Revival was met with positive reviews from critics. It boasts of having the highest first week sales for Gomez at 117,000 album units sold.
Three singles from the album — “Good For You,” “Same Old Love,” and “Hands To Myself” — all topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Thanks to this achievement, Gomez became one of six female artists to have three singles from the same album top the chart.
As was the case with Stars Dance, Gomez embarked on a world tour for Revival as well. Similarly, the European and South American leg of the Revival Tour were cancelled. Gomez cited anxiety, depression, and panic attacks caused by her then recently diagnosed lupus as the culprit of the cancellation.
Following Revival, Gomez went on to work with several artists for standalone releases and collaborations. In September 2016, she and Canadian singer Tory Lanez were featured on “Trust Nobody,” the second single from Cashmere Cat’s debut album 9. Gomez also collaborated with Norwegian DJ Kygo for the single titled “It Ain’t Me.”
In May 2017, Gomez dropped a new single called “Bad Liar.” This was followed up with a second single, “Fetish,” which was released in July of the same year. Beyond these singles, Gomez was also featured on several tracks of different other artists. These include DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki” and Benny Blanco’s “I Can’t Get Enough.”
Selena Gomez 13 Reasons Why
As some fans may know, the Netflix series adaptation of the novel Thirteen Reasons Why is actually executive produced by Gomez herself. The show premiered on Netflix in March 2017. An American teen drama, 13 Reasons Why explores the suicide of high school student Hannah Baker and the reasons leading up to her imminent death.
The show delves into a number of social issues that affect today’s youth. Besides suicide, it also explores themes of homophobia, police brutality, bullying, racism, and mental health, to name a few.
Selena Gomez Lupus
Fame and success is not without some hiccups along the way. In Gomez’s case, her health became a major issue in both her personal and professional life.
Some have wondered: “What disease does Selena Gomez have?” In 2015, the singer and actress revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus. For those who are unaware, lupus is a systemic autoimmune diseases that affects a person’s immune system. Lupus causes a person’s immune system to attack their own body’s tissues and organs. As such, people who suffer from lupus often have to deal with inflammation, whether that be in the joints, skin, kidney, or other parts of the body.
It was lupus that caused Gomez to cut off stops from both her Stars Dance Tour and Revival Tour. Following the revelation in 2015, the Selena Gomez kidney transplant news was all fans could talk about when the singer revealed she had undergone a kidney transplant due to complication from lupus.
Who gave Selena Gomez a kidney? None other than her best friend, Grown-ish star Francia Raisa.
Selena Gomez New Album
Gomez’s latest studio album, Rare, was released in January 2020 and received positive critical response. Debuting at the top of the Billboard 200, it became her third consecutive number-one album. Notably, “Lose You to Love Me,” a single from Rare, became the singer’s first chart-topping single in the United States.
Selena Gomez New Song
Most recently, Gomez collaborated with South Korean girl group Blackpink for the song “Ice Cream.” The second single off Blackpink’s upcoming first Korean-language studio album, The Album, “Ice Cream” credits Gomez with vocals and songwriting. Notably, Ariana Grande also worked on the track and is credited for songwriting as well.
Selena Gomez Tours
Listed below are the tours that Gomez has embarked on throughout her career thus far:
Solo Tours
- Stars Dance Tour (2013)
- Revival Tour (2016)
Selena Gomez & the Scene Tours
- Live in Concert (2009–2010)
- A Year Without Rain Tour (2010–2011)
- We Own the Night Tour (2011–2012)
There are currently no news of any upcoming tours just yet.
Selena Gomez Net Worth
How much is Selena Gomez worth? Notably, her movies and songs have been very instrumental in helping her arrive at her present net worth. Although she has yet to make it to the Forbes list, Gomez’s net worth is still remarkable at an estimated $75 million.
Selena Gomez Dating
Gomez has been linked to a couple of notable male celebrities, including the likes of Nick Jonas and Canadian singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (a.k.a. The Weeknd). However, one of her most high-profile relationships thus far is arguably the tumultuous romance she shared with singer Justin Bieber.
Selena Gomez Justin Bieber news reigned headlines throughout their relationship. The two first started dating in 2010, and were on-again, off-again until 2017. There was a lot of drama that circulated their romance, but ultimately, Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber called it quits for good in 2018.
Who is Selena Gomez dating now? Although she was last reported to be seeing The Weeknd, the two reportedly broke up in 2017 — somewhere in between Gomez’s back and forth with Bieber.
Selena Gomez News
Where is Selena Gomez now? Besides her recent collaboration with Blackpink, the singer and actress also recently released a cooking show on HBO Max. Called Selena + Chef, it features Gomez hosting the show as different chefs remotely join and assist her. Selena + Chef also highlights different food-related charities for each of its episodes. Besides playing host, Gomez also serves as executive producer for the show.
Additionally, Gomez recently announced that she would be part of the Hulu comedy series Only Murders In The Building as both a cast member and executive producer. It’s interesting to note that the show marks Gomez’s first return to scripted television since Wizards of Waverly Place.
Conclusion
It goes without saying that Selena Gomez has seen a lot of ups and downs. Amidst her success, she has remained humble throughout the years. Without a doubt, Selena Gomez is an icon of resilience and passion. To this day, she continues to inspire many all over the world.
