Selena Gomez Reflects On How Her Life Has Changed As She’s Gotten Older In New ‘Elle’ Cover Interview

Selena Gomez has been keeping a low profile over the past few months, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been living her best life, which consists of working on herself, her career, spending time with her loved ones, and throwing herself into volunteer work.

In her new cover interview for the October issue of Elle, Gomez reflected on how much her life has changed for the better as she’s gotten older.

Selena Gomez kicked off 2018 by making the decision to leave Los Angeles for a new, quieter life in Orange County.

“It’s been such a release. L.A.’s just gotten really claustrophobic for me. I can’t do any of the things I do here in L.A. It’s just impossible,” she told Elle’s Mickey Rapkin.

After selling her L.A. home to rapper French Montana, the “Wolves” singer decided to put her Studio City home on the market, as well as a mansion in Texas.

“I think everything in my life is being majorly downsized, in a very good way,” she said.

Gomez, who recently turned 26, admits that “the moment I turned 26, I felt 26” and how looking back on her life up to now, she is “a totally different person.”

“It’s a lot of self-discovery. From 20 to 26? Oh my gosh. I feel like a totally different person.”

Part of growing up has enabled the “Back To You” singer to not care so much about what others think of her, especially when it comes to all the gossip surrounding her in the media, as she no longer keeps tabs on herself whenever her name appears in the headlines.

“I’m not on the internet. I haven’t been on the internet in months. I don’t have my password for Instagram. I have no apps on my phone, no photo editing apps,” she revealed.

Her reason?

“It’s not real to me,” she explained.

The former Disney Channel star understands that she is of prominence, but now that she is older, she is choosing to be “selective” when it comes to the issues she wants to speak out on and is relishing in the freedom she has procured for herself to live her life how she wants to and not how anyone else thinks she should because of her celebrity status.

“I know my voice is very prominent, but I’m not careless with it. I’m selective. As far as my personal life, someone sees me having a glass of wine? I could give two s**ts. I’m not trying to hide. That’s my life. I’m living it the way I want to live it.”

The “It Ain’t Me” singer also opened up about her volunteer work with A21, a nonprofit organization, which aims to raise awareness and put an end to human-trafficking on a global scale. Gomez began volunteering with A21 in March and commits to five days a week when she can, but she remains firm that her decision to get involved with the project has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she is famous.

“The idea of human trafficking to me is…I’m flabbergasted. I had been working for so long, and I don’t like taking things in my life. I just wanted to serve,” she shared.

If fans were expecting Gomez to finally comment on her ex Justin Bieber’s engagement to model Hailey Baldwin, they’re not completely out of luck. Although she didn’t speak directly about it, it does appear that there might be a song about it on her upcoming album, as one track alludes to “cutting a man out of her life.”

Selena Gomez has been through many ups and down over the past year when it comes to her relationships being thrown into the spotlight and her health struggles. However, she has remained determined to not lose sight of herself and rise above it.