Selena Gomez might be giving up music, and the internet has plenty of thoughts on the matter.
On Monday, the 31-year-old starlet appeared on the SmartLess podcast with actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. After explaining how she got into singing as a teenager, Gomez confessed she’d like to slow down and focus on fewer projects moving forward.
“I started having a lot of fun with music and then touring was really fun,” she said. “So I just kept going but the older I get, the more I’m kind of like, I would like to find something to just settle on.”
Newsweek has reached out to Selena Gomez for comment via email.
Since releasing her first single “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” in 2008, Gomez has won numerous awards and sold over 3.6 million albums in the U.S. alone. Her music career has paralleled her success as an actress, with the former child star landing the lead role in Disney’s The Wizards of Waverley Place at just 15 years old.
She told the hosts that it was time to “pick a career lane,” believing that her upcoming fourth album will be her last.
“I do feel like I have one more album in me but I would probably choose acting,” she said.
Gomez also believes she’s “not the best singer,” but that she knows “how to tell stories” and loves being able to create music.
Like any megastar, Gomez has legions of critics along with an army of fans—with many social media users thrilled that the VMA winner is considering retirement.
“Her music sucked anyways,” commented @IEatTinyPeople.
“Well based on her social media breaks that usually last a few hours i don’t think we need to worry,” said Josh.
Some users felt the retirement announcement was a ploy to ensure solid record sales.
“It’s a marketing strategy,” said V.S.
“She wants to make sure it’s going to sell in large numbers,” wrote @OvoOnoETH.
However, others defended Gomez, with Uyota telling the star to “pursue your dreams.”
“Great woman.. i support her 100 percent,” agreed Subie.
“The fans didn’t deserve the pure soul this woman is,” commented karmarcher.
During her appearance on SmartLess, Gomez said singing initially began as a hobby, with Disney asking if she’d be interested in recording an album.
“Disney is, it’s safe to say, a machine and, in a way, forcefully require that I know how to sing so I could sing the theme song [of The Wizards of Waverley Place],” she said. “They know how to package someone and make it a whole triple threat thing.”
“I wanted to be an actress, I never really intended on being a singer full-time but apparently that hobby turned into something else.”
Gomez fronted the punk band Selena Gomez & the Scene between 2009 and 2011, before going it alone. All three of her solo albums—Stars Dance (2013), Revival (2015) and Rare (2020)—debuted at #No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, while several of her singles have been awarded Platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) based on the number of units sold.
In recent years, Gomez has started to work behind the camera, executive producing the comedy-mystery series Only Murders in the Building, along with starring as artist Mable Mora.
