Selena Gomez Will Truly Come Into Her Own With ‘Revival’
Selena Gomez has been known to the public for a lot of things. First, she was a Disney Channel star, then she was Justin Bieber’s girlfriend, and, of course, she’s probably best known for her friendship with Taylor Swift. She’s also a singer, but up until now that hasn’t been the thing that’s really defined her. Well, it looks like that’s all about to change with the release of her next album, Revival.
Revival comes out on October 9, and a new, more self-aware Gomez is coming out along with it. She described her “revived” self to Mashable as “Confident. Free. Independent,” all traits of the strong individual she has struggled to be seen as for a long time now.
Selena Gomez, 23, has been famous since she was very young. But up to this point, her true self has been continuously overshadowed by other happenings in her life. Several former Disney stars, such as Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, struggled to shed the innocent, child-like Disney stigma and move on, and Gomez is no exception to this.
It didn’t help matters much that she went from being the Wizards of Waverly Place actress to being Justin Bieber’s girlfriend, who fell apart publicly after receiving nasty messages and threats on social media from thousands of Beliebers. After all the drama and then their breakup, Selena was perceived as a weak girl who’d gotten her heart broken, or simply as superstar Taylor Swift’s less-talented sidekick.
So, what has changed? Gomez’s perception of herself, for one thing. In addition to the gradual maturation of her music and its subject matter, the way Selena presents herself has been evolving. Earlier this year, she caught some heat for having gained weight, but rather than hiding her body, Gomez stood up to body-shamers, professing her love for herself and continuing to sport clothing that showed off her physique.
Gomez has also been more active on social media and has taken her career into her own hands, really taking the reins regarding her music for the first time with Revival and landing a Pantene campaign.
She also revealed to Mashable most of the songs on Revival will be dedicated to her fans, rather than failed relationships or boys she’s chased after. With powerful song titles such as “Survivors,” “Rise,” and “Kill ‘Em With Kindness,” Revival is likely to be a far cry from something an innocent child or irrelevant ex-girlfriend would put out.
While she may not have completely overcome the buzz that’s defined her thus far, Gomez certainly plans to. “I need my work to just outshine all of this,” she told the New York Times. “When I walk into a place and people look at me, they don’t see an artist.”
I think it’s safe to say that with what we’ve seen of the new Selena, and her new music, thus far, she’s on her way to be taken seriously as both an artist and a person.
[Image courtesy of John Phillips / Getty Images]
