Selena Gomez, long time actor and musician, is considered to be one of America’s most influential celebrities. With her own beauty line, multiple Grammy and Emmy nominations, and numerous number-one hits, she is taking the world by storm. More recently, however, she made headlines when she hinted that she may focus on the acting side of her career, slightly stepping away from her place as a musician. Gomez explained, “I do feel like I have one more album in me,” as she appears on an episode of the “Smartless” podcast. “The older I get the more I’m kind of like, I would like to find something to just settle on.”

A Childhood Star
Starting her career at just 10 years old, Gomez appeared on Barney & Friends, and a few years later, snagged the lead role of Alex Russo on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place. Here, she discovered her passion for music, releasing her first song, “Cruella de Vil,” just a year after the show took off. Positive reactions from people all over the world fueled Gomez’s desire to make more music, leading to many tours and albums over the years. Nevertheless, Gomez later explained that the constant pull between her music and acting career had taken a toll on her mental health, causing many struggles to arise throughout her personal life.

Mental Health Struggles
In her 2022 docuseries, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, she openly discussed the impact her celebrity image had on her mentally. Within the series, viewers saw Gomez cancel her 2016 “Revival” tour after 55 performances, as she decides to enter a psychiatric facility. Overwhelmed by the amount of fame from both sides of her career, Gomez was left with a sense of hollowness that no amount of stardom could fix.

Music as a Pastime
Gomez, who only really saw her music as a pastime compared to her acting career, stated on the podcast, “I thought it would be fun and I thought more than anything it would be a hobby that I really enjoyed… I wanted to be an actress. I never really intended on being a singer full time.” She states that the decision to focus on acting above music, however, should not be set in stone.

Upcoming Project
Gomez has been admirably inspirational to many all over the world, with her genuinity and impressive amount of dexterity despite probing from the media. No matter which path she chooses to follow, fans will be on the lookout for her next project, like playing Latin legend Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic.