Selena Gomez’s fans may be disappointed to learn that her primary focus remains on acting rather than music.
During a panel at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, February 9, Gomez, 35, suggested that she is “ready to just focus on” acting for film and television after her role in Emilia Pérez.
She shared, “I think film and art-making and being around such incredible, talented people that have done nothing but uplift me along the way. It’s going to be very hard for me to ever go back to music after this.”
Gomez spoke about Emilia Pérez’s success, which earned 13 Academy Award nominations. “The director just really trusted me, and I was so grateful because I’ve gotten to show people that I am capable of doing more. I hope that this is just the beginning for me,” she added.
Starting as a child actress, Gomez landed the lead role in Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. That opportunity allowed her to branch into music with her band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, which released three studio albums between 2009 and 2011 before she transitioned to a solo career.
Gomez released her first solo album in 2013 and later received a Grammy nomination for her fourth EP, Revelación, which was nominated for Best Latin Pop Album in 2022.
While making strides in the music industry, she has recently shifted her attention back to acting, starring in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building and Emilia Pérez.
Gomez’s potential break from music comes more than a year after her last music release. In February 2024, she dropped “Love On,” following her 2023 hits “Single Soon” and “Calm Down.” At the time, she admitted she wasn’t in a rush to return to the studio.
Selena Gomez (Photo: Getty Images)“The older I get, the more I’m kind of like, ‘I would like to find something to just settle on,’” she explained on the “SmartLess” podcast in 2024. “I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting.”
Gomez added, “You’re right [I don’t have to choose between the two], but I am going to want to chill because I’m tired.”
While reflecting on her career, Gomez acknowledged that her demanding schedule has taken a toll, stating, “I went to a mental institute and canceled one of my tours. It just got to me because I love working and it distracts me from bad things.”
She previously opened up about her mental health struggles in her documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. The Apple TV+ special, released in 2022, detailed her experiences between 2016 and 2020, highlighting her personal and professional challenges.
“She poured her heart and soul into this, and it took a heck of a lot of courage to go as deep into her journey as she did,” an insider exclusively told in November 2022 about the documentary. “As happy and centered as she is now, this is someone who freely admits she’s hit the wall numerous times in her life and had to rebuild and reset herself when all hope may have seemed lost.”
The source continued, “She’s grateful to have had these second chances, especially as it gives her the opportunity to help others and send that message loud and clear that anything is possible if you have the right mentality and tools at your disposal.”
Although Gomez is not currently prioritizing music, she recently hinted at working on new tracks with her fiancé, Benny Blanco. The duo initially met while collaborating on Gomez’s hit songs “Same Old Love” and “Kill Em With Kindness” from her 2015 album, Revival. Blanco was also a producer on “Single Soon.”
