STARS ALIGN FOR SELENA
Young pop superstar talks about her new album, her controversial bindi, her acting career, — everything, it seems, except for The Biebs
“O ur love was made to rule the world, you came and broke the perfect girl,” sings Selena Gomez on
Forget Forever, one of the many dance-pop tracks on Stars Dance.
The album, which marks her solo debut without band The Scene, is out Tuesday.
When I ask her if she’s talking about anyone in particular on the song — hint, he’s a 19-year-old Canadian pop star — who broke her heart, she’s purposely vague.
“I actually didn’t write that song — it was one of the first songs I ever recorded for the album,” says Gomez, who turns 21 Monday.
“It’s actually a really fun track ... and it kind of felt like an anthem song. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a U2, Coldplay feel but you know when you’re in a stadium and it’s one of those really big anthems? That feeling of having that vibe. I think that was a beautiful song so no (I wasn’t heartbroken), I loved it.”
There’s also another seemingly Bieber- related song, the album-ending ballad, Love
Will Remember, but the Texasborn Gomez doesn’t want to talk specifics on that one either despite confirming in an In Style cover story it was indeed about The Biebs.
TMZ recently reported Gomez has taken him back with one big proviso — he curtail his ongoing questionable behaviour.
“Love Will Remember was actually a really fun track for me to actually go in with a producer and just work with them and the producer that worked on that album on that song, they’ve known me since I was 15 so they’ve been through a lot with me,” was all she would say.
It was also reported the track featured one of Bieber’s voice mails to her, but the version I’ve listened to didn’t contain any such thing.
We caught up with Gomez — and a publicist who was always close by — earlier this summer.
You’ve obviously taken the first step toward a more grown-up film career with Springbreakers, a far stretch from your Disney Channel beginnings on Wizards of Waverly
Place. Are you also trying to do the same thing with your music career on Stars Dance?
The transition is such a tricky thing to do because you never know, what’s in today could be gone tomorrow so I’m just trying to do the best I can. I think Stars
Dance, (first single) Come & Get It and Springbreakers were, I feel, the right choice for me personally to make that step into that world. I am growing and if I’m not pushing myself, I’m not growing.
Some Hindus were offended about you wearing a bindi on your forehead when you performed the South Asian-flavoured Come & Get It on the MTV Movie Awards back in April. Were you surprised?
Not necessarily. To me, I was learning about my seven chakras. I was learning about religion. I was learning about all that stuff and in a way, for me, I was celebrating it. I think it’s beautiful. And in the song ... that is what I am trying to embrace ... The culture’s beautiful, travelling and being able to absorb all of that and being educated on it. If anything, I think I’m educating myself and others...
How does it feel that Stars Dance is your first official solo album without your band The Scene with whom you have previously recorded?
I didn’t have any (guests) on this album. I just wanted it to solely be about the music I wanted to make and what I was happy making. I recorded 25 songs for this record and I picked only 11. It was fun for me to ... learn more about ...how the process works. I actually got to write a little. I wrote all the bonus tracks...
Is it true you might take a long break from music and concentrate on acting after you get through the release and tour for Stars Dance?
I always refer to acting as my first love so I feel that’s where I want to feel super accomplished. And I don’t feel like I’ve been able to spend as much time doing that as much as I’d like to. I love touring. I love music. I love being able to talk about how excited I am about my album; but it’s different doing a film, working with great actors. I can’t believe I’ve already been able to work with incredible actors ... I love auditioning. It makes me feel like I earned it as opposed to just given to me. I really feel like I definitely fight for things — and it’s good. I just kind of want to, after this album, take a little moment for myself to just do that for a couple of years.