Vulnerability as brand core: the new album from Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez, one of the biggest pop musicians in the world, has released a new album. But it is rather unlikely that she will come to Europe on tour. She broke her last tour nine years ago and attributed Lupus to her autoimmune disease. Since then she has not been on a concert tour-it was emotionally too exhausting, the 32-year-old once said.

With lupus, the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy cells. Gomez not only spoke publicly about this disease, but also about her life with a bipolar disorder.

Gomez stands for a new era of pop stars who dare to publicly share personal experiences and also process them on their albums. The American also does this in the new work « I Said I Love You First »-but this time the sound is more positive than on the predecessor « Rare ».

New album is sometimes reminiscent of Taylor Swift

Gomez wrote the album together with her fiance, the songwriter and producer Benny Blanco. The 34-minute work combines very different genres such as synth pop from the 1980s, Folk and Latin Pop. In some places it reminds of the sounds of Gomez ‘girlfriend, the songwriter Taylor Swift. Gomez and Blanco wrote a song with the pop star Charli XCX (« Bluest Flame »)-it also sounds like the Britin’s high-screwed techno pop.

Blanco and Gomez celebrate their love on the album, they are intimate cuddling in bed to the single « Scared of Loving You ». « When I was Young, I would love Too Fast / Hope I Don’t Repeat My Past », Singing Gomez in the quiet acoustic guitar song.

Their open vulnerability has become a kind of trademark from Gomez. They appreciate fans for their sustainability – but some also make fun of it. Recently she caused a sensation with a now deleted video on social media in which she crying her sympathy with illegal immigrants in the USA. US President Donald Trump had previously announced deportations on a large scale.

Gomez, who himself has a Mexican migration background, not only received Häme from Republicans. « Apparently it is wrong to show empathy for people, » she wrote, after deleting the video.

Gomez also knows the topic of “mental health”. She leads a make-up company whose products have names such as « Find Comfort », « Kind Words » or « Positive Light ».

In 2022 she published the documentary « Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me », in which she talks about depression, her illnesses and problems with life in public. Her political engagement is also an issue in it. And your broken tour to the album « Revival ».

It’s rarely about music

The documentary of 2022 shows how it is surrounded by Paparazzi public appearances, who ask her attacking questions about her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber and other private things. Gomez is still exposed to such behavior. For example, when people discuss their weight on social networks.

If you talk about Gomez, it is usually about the outside, rarely about your work. She became known in 2007 with the Disney series « The Wizard of Wavery Place », she started to publish music at the same time. As an actress, she is currently involved in the much promised series « Only Murders in the Building ». In addition, she was seen in a supporting role in the musical thriller « Emilia Pérez », who started as a favorite of critics and then stumbled across a controversy of his leading actress.

Gomez has released a large amount of a large and unusual pop hits since the nineties. For example, the pleasing electropop song « Hands to MySelf » (2015), which surprises with dynamic changes and a quietly seeping guitar reef; The groovy “Bad Liar” with a talking heads sample and the experimental trap pop song “Fetish” (both 2017).

Her pandemic album « Rare » from 2020 offers a whole series of catchy pop songs (« Dance Again », « Look at Her Now », « Let me get me »), but nevertheless did not get the same recognition as Swift’s works from the Corona period.

Unlike Swift, Gomez works with many different songwriters, but manages to recognize her songs with her very voice and unusual, often syncopic rhythms.

Some album highlights

« I Said I Love You First » is her fourth studio album. Even before her solo career, she had released albums with a band, the new work is now a collaboration again. The 37-year-old Blanco has been active as a producer and songwriter for a long time, used to have worked with Gomez and wrote pop hits such as « Teenage Dream » by Katy Perry or « Tik Tok » by Kesha.

Like these straightforward pop crackers, the songs of the Gomez-Blanco album do not sound. « I Said I Love You First » is a work -loving work that often looks exciting, but sometimes also a bit arbitrary.

There are some highlights among them: the nostalgic Latin pop song « Ojos Tristes » sung in Spanish, a collaboration with the band The Marías. The tracks « Cowboy » and « Younger and Hotter Than Me » reminiscent of the songwriter pop Swifts (unfortunately the texts are not so good). The indulgent slow-pop track « You Said You Were Sorry », which sounds like Gomez and Lana Del Rey had drunk together in the recording studio.

A hit is also the first, very danceable « I Can’t Get Enough », which is published in 2019, which combines reggaeton with pounding beats.

Pärchen-Shrimps and make-up videos

If there is no tour, how can fans experience the work? « I Said I Love You First » is available, which is also common to buy in numerous special editions. For example as a record in peach colors or « canopy rod red ».

And then of course there are social media. On Tikkok, Blanco recently tried to put on Gomez with the products of her make-up line. And turned her face into a bright, brown fresco for the amusement of her fans.

Anyone who lives in Los Angeles can also go to the place where Gomez and Blanco allegedly had their first date. There the couple advertises together with a restaurant in a promotional week for « Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco’s First Date Shrimp ».