As Selena Gomez put it herself: Look. At. Her. Now! 👏 The 27-year-old songstress is ready to move on from heartache and celebrated the release of her highly-anticipated new singles “Lose You to Love Me” and “Look At Her Now” with Ryan Seacrest on-air on Thursday, October 24. The former Disney star, who is also behind Netflix’s Living Undocumented, opened up about everything from those candid lyrics to what to expect with her long-awaited forthcoming new album, which she teased embraces a whole new chapter.
While “Lose You to Love Me” came as a reeling diary entry for fans, who were quick to dissect each lyric and take solace in the candid and raw vulnerability, Selena herself has had time to move on.
“More than anything, I think I feel a sense of relief, you know?” Selena told Seacrest when asked how it feels to release the track on the heels of her highly-publicized on-again, off-again romance with Justin Bieber, who recently tied the knot with Hailey Bieber. “It’s been four years since I’ve been working on this album and it’s actually perfect timing because I was going to release it two years ago and none of the words that I’m speaking would have existed,” she added. “So taking a moment to actually feel the feelings that I’ve gone through, it’s just — I don’t know — I’m just so grateful that it’s out. It’s weird too because I wrote this song over a year ago … and it’s like I feel completely different from when I wrote it. ... It’s such an interesting feeling.”
As fans continue to process Selena’s obvious heartbreak, she continued that the song writing process was actually healing.
“It’s also more beautiful for me because I know exactly where I was when I wrote it and how I felt,” she continued, revealing that “no” she couldn’t have released it back then. “Absolutely not. That wouldn’t have happened. It took me a long time to get through it. But, now it’s fun! Like, I’m smiling! It’s so great.”
Selena confirmed that yes, the song encompasses “all the feelings” she dealt with.
“It’s everything from happy and emotional to just realizing it and being frustrated,” she explained. “I just wanted to validate all those feelings because they were really real to me.”
And when it comes to that telling “in two months you replaced us” lyric, Selena agreed it’s worse to see an ex move on than the initial breakup.
“I’m really grateful too because I’ve actually experienced that a million times before and that’s the unfortunate part about what I do,” she admitted. “It’s all very real to me and I’m sure it’s just entertainment for other people; but I think I had become numb to it and it would be stupid of me if I didn’t acknowledge what I had felt because it would be inauthentic and that’s everything I claim to be and do. ... I know there are thousands of people … who have felt this feeling and it’s extremely real, and on top of the social media and everything, it doesn’t matter if you’re in my position or someone else’s because you’re always going to somehow find this negative space and that’s why I have to be careful and I just have to take steps back and just focus on what I’m doing and nobody else.”
Selena explained that the headline-making reaction of the world is partly why she waited so long to release the song.
“I think that’s why I’ve waited this long to express what I’ve felt,” she added. “… I’m always going to be honest with people. I’ve never not been. I might not be overly chatty about it all the time, but this is where I’m able to release it. This is where it turns into art. … It actually shocks me,” she continued of the headline-making reactions. “Because everyone writes about something they felt … and the biggest topic is love, and, in a way, it’s not something negative. It’s actually something positive that I was able to experience that was as beautiful and ugly as it was. I think it’s beautiful I’ve been able to turn this into a new chapter.”
Speaking of her “new chapter,” Selena’s follow-up album to 2015’s Revival expresses just that. Selena explained that the black-and-white and color behind each video respectively was intentional.
“That’s kind of the point. I released a song, ‘The Heart Wants What It Wants,’ ages ago and that video was one of my favorites and I felt like going from there to go where I am now is like the greatest feeling so it made sense,” she shared. “Behind what I’m saying in ‘Lose You to Love Me' is very black and white — there is no in between. It’s just, that’s it. And then for ‘Look at Her Now,’ that’s just my life exploding into all these different amazing things.”
Selena couldn’t divulge too much on the new album, but she confirmed it’s better than ever — and also won't be a wait.
“All I know is these two songs were me wrapping up a chapter in a pretty little bow,” she concluded. “And the rest of the album is all about where I am now and where I’m going. So, in my opinion, these are great songs, but I’ve saved the best for later. … It’s all just going to be better and it won’t be as long as I waited before. … I have a million ideas and it’s just going to be cooler and it’s going to be stronger and it’s going to be better.”
Watch back the full interview in the videos above for more, including to hear why Selena wanted to be a part of Netflix’s Living Undocumented and the impact its had on her life. Plus, find out the story behind “Look At Me Now” and why she wanted to dedicate the revival anthem to her fans.