Cozying Up With Selena Gomez: Full Interview on Happiness, New Music, and Goals

What's going on? My name is Brew. Welcome back to another Odyssey Check-In. Today, we are so honored to have a very special guest, Miss Selena Gomez. Yeah. Hi. Hello, hello. It's so good to see you. So nice to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you too. Thank you so much for stopping by and giving us some time today. You got new music to talk about. How's your hand? My hand is okay. It's struggling, you guys. The struggle's real. I wish I had a cool story to tell you, like me jumping off a skateboard into, you know, saving a child or something. But I just tripped. Yeah. That's all I did. You can say that, though. I was walking, and I tripped. You were walking to the halfpipe to do the trick. Exactly. And then this happened. Amazing. Well, I'm glad you're doing well. Yes. Everything is good. You got new music out. So excited about single soon. Congratulations. Thank you so much. On the song. You're at a point where you can do anything, you know. You could do passion projects. You could go vacation for 12 months a year. What brings you back? That's a nightmare. Maybe a little too much. Yeah. I love my bed. You got to do back to the routines. But what is it about music that always brings you back? I think for me, I enjoy so many different facets of my life. But I can't help but really relate and just indulge my life through lyrics. It's just so much fun. Even if it's a song that is upbeat like It Ain't Me, there's still such vulnerability in the lyrics. But it's one of the most energetic, fun songs that I've done. I think it's just a fun way of communicating. And I was itching to have some new music out. So technically, this isn't my first single. But I've had this song for six years. And we revamped everything. And it was just kind of like a perfect way to end the summer. Yeah. I was going to ask, was there much planning to it? So was this a song that you just had, and then it felt like the right time to put out? Or how did it all come together? Totally. Yeah. So essentially, I did the song. And it just didn't really work for Rare. I didn't think I was in that place emotionally. But it was fun. So I'd always loved it and had it in my back pocket. But we reproduced it and stuff. And it just ended up coming out exactly the way I wanted it. And it's really fun. Amazing. Well, on that note, you said you're working on a new album. Is this somehow in that theme and kind of setting it up for the next project? I've been telling people that unintentionally, this has happened, where there's actually no sad songs on this record. Vulnerability is my thing. So obviously, I'm telling people where I am in this stage in my life. And I feel really, really good. I turned 31. I'm in a really healthy space. And I'm so happy. So the whole album is just a true pop record. It's so much fun. It's amazing. And it's constantly going to get people moving and feeling things. Well, I love to hear that. And it's what we needed, too. Thank you for releasing that, especially at the end of summer. Thanks. It's like we needed one more send-off for these summer months. Yes. So it's so good. Thank you. What was the decision to use the Sex and the City with the video? I wanted Carrie. Are you a fan? Yes. I wanted Carrie to have redemption. Okay. Amazing. I was wondering if there's other double enchanters. Should I go with Ross and Rachel? No, not at all. I just thought it was a really cute way. And it automatically was in the lyrics anyway. So it was like a little Easter egg. It made perfect sense. Well, I love seeing your little sister, Gracie, part of the music video, using her voice. How is it working with her? And also, can you speak on the impact of her in your life? Oh, God. She's changed my life for the better in so many ways. She's just so challenging in a way where she's not afraid to ask about life and ask hard questions. So she's just a really good kid, and I want to be the best version I can for her. But no, she didn't go in the studio. She recorded a voice note and sent it to me because she heard me and my girls talking about being single, and she was like, when she left my house, she was like, Sissy, I love you so much. She was like, you don't need to worry about boyfriends. And I just thought it was the cutest thing ever. So I was like, this makes sense, actually, to put it in a single. That's so cute. It really was. I was like, dang, she's a good actress. But it's like a real note. That's just her sass. I love it. Well, we are all loving the song, especially your friends supporting it. Taylor Swift was shouting you out for the new single. How important is it to have those friends, and especially in the music industry, championing you? Yeah, well, I think it's really important for especially women to do that. I've been so lucky, and I'm a huge fan of so many female artists, and I'm the girl that will show up at the concert in the merch and have a blast. So I've just never really been raised to have a competitive nature. It's always just been, let's celebrate everyone because there's room for everyone. Absolutely. Well, on top of that, too, we haven't seen you since, but congratulations on Calm Down and the massive success with Rema. Such a great song, and I'm curious, what do you look for at this point in those types of collabs? Well, I mean, that was just such a special surprise. I think we knew the song was going to be really exciting and fun, but we definitely didn't think it would do as well as it did, or at least I didn't, and I'm still beyond thrilled. And there's not really a better person who deserves it than Rema. He's a really great guy, extremely humble, open, lovely, and I just am so happy for him. Yeah, it's been amazing to watch his success as well, and of course so happy that you're back in music, and we're looking forward to what's to come. Kind of shifting a little bit, and again, glad you're in good spirits with the hand, and that's going to go hopefully before the summer's up, but what is it like in this phase of life? What are you finding the most happiness in that gives you that true happiness? I think when I'm able to feel like myself. Lately, when I started to turn 30, I noticed little things that I cared about were becoming less and less important, and I truly feel grateful. I'm growing out of certain seasons and people, and it's all kind of chaotic, but you're really simplifying, or at least that's what I've been doing, is simplifying my life a bit. Well, I love your message, and I love how you're always so clear with your fans on what's happening in your life, and what is it that keeps you sharing those real and personal deep moments with the world? I think that it's better if it comes from me than anywhere else. Absolutely. I love that note too that you shared on Instagram today. It was like, speak your truth, even if it's in a shaky voice. Yeah. That was beautiful. Thank you. Bookmark it and put it in the studio. We're hanging it up, looking at it when I wake up. Thanks. Something we're so proud of at this company is our mental health platform that we built. It's called I'm Listening. I just wanted to touch on a couple things with that and ask why has it been so important for the Rare Impact Fund to advocate for mental health, resources, and just those conversations in general? Right. Well, I think there was a really confusing period of time in my life where I wasn't really sure why my emotions were so intense, and why my highs would be really high and my lows would be really low. Once I started to figure it out slowly but surely, I think people wanted to paint a narrative that it was a bad thing that I was seeking help and trying to figure out what was going on. And then ultimately I got a diagnosis and I felt relieved. I felt like I had answers and I need to study everything about this and I want to know how I can navigate my life with my diagnosis. But I'm genuinely not ashamed of it. I know a lot of people have a hard time talking about it, but a lot of people don't even know they're experiencing some things. And I think that's all I've wanted to do is share that part of me because I know I'm not the only one feeling that way. And I think it's important for people to stand up and say, yeah, I have this and I'm living with it every day and I can and you can too. Yeah. You talk about those people that maybe are just realizing it for the first time. For someone who might be battling those mental health hurdles, what would you suggest as maybe a first step forward? Well, I would say a lot of online support is really helpful. It's very dangerous, though, too, because you've got to be careful. But I really started to shift when I started working on DBT, which is dialectical behavior therapy. And that actually helped me tremendously. And there's books on it and all kinds of stuff. But I've learned how to deal and use the tools that I have and deal with my life, you know? Mm-hmm. Yeah, and you kind of touched on it there. How has being open with mental health and having those conversations personally benefited you? It's honestly healed me in a way. It feels good to be able to talk about some of the things that I've walked through and also the feedback. It's not about, let me take a picture with you and run away. It's like, hey, that really spoke to me when you said this, and I'm going through a divorce right now, and your song was really helpful. Just real conversations with real people. So it's opened a lot of doors, and it's done a lot of healing for me. Yeah, it's all about those people. It's all about the conversations. One of the staple people in your life, who I'm sure has helped in wonders, is your mom. Yeah. What is something that your mom maybe has taught you that sticks with you and you'd love to pass on to others? I don't know. My mom is pretty awesome, but she always kept things pretty simple. It sounds silly, but it was always just treat people the way you want to be treated. Always say please and thank you. Never be late. I just try to hold on to those things. Nobody is better than me or worse than me. We are all the same. We all go to the bathroom. We all bleed. We're all just, you know what I mean? I don't know. I think my mom's just really instilled a lot of good qualities. I think I would give her all the credit. Yeah. Tell it to Mama Gomez. That's amazing. A couple of milestones. I don't know if you knew about these. Maybe you've seen it. 14 years ago. You know what happened 14 years ago? No. The Wizards movie came out. Oh my God. That is the first time I think I've ever had true despair. It's towards the ending of that movie. That is crazy. Oh my God. Changed me as a child. Also, milestone. Happy belated birthday. I know you touched on it a little bit. But throwing it back, the inner Disney kid in me has to know, at this age in your life, what do you think Alex Russo would be doing in life? I think she'd be Mabel. I think she'd honestly end up being a little, I feel like she'd be a business woman and sneakily, I feel like she'd be Barney on How I Met Your Mother. The female version. I can see it. And talking about milestones and everything, this is fun. Something you did six years ago, you did the 73 questions with Vogue, and they asked you one about, make a prediction about anything a year from now. Kind of want to do it again. Okay. Yeah. Is there anything a year from now? Let's make a prediction. Okay. Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl. No. Okay. Nope. Not doing that. I hope that maybe I'm on some sort of stage. Okay. Yeah. Gosh, that literally read my mind with a crystal ball. I was like, speaking of the future, it's going back out on the road, part of the plan? Maybe. I really would love that. All right. It just has to be done well. Maybe in a year, a year from now. Calling her shot. I love it. Also on the calendar, the Rare Impact Gala, you're hosting it. Yes. October 4th. What's that going to look like? It's honestly been so much fun to prep it. It feels like a mini wedding. I'm picking out the colors and the flowers and wanting it to be a great night because we just want to raise as much awareness as possible. Hopefully, people will come along and buy some stuff and give back as much as they can. It's really exciting. I'm really proud of it. You should be. Thank you so much for being here and offering up your time. I think it's so amazing that you're out promoting your music and, again, being so transparent with your fans on what's going on in your life. Is there anything I missed? Any last update you want to give to those fans? No, just thank you so much for continuing to make my life amazing because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for all of you. Amazing. Selena Gomez, thank you so much for coming on this Odyssey Check-In. It's so nice to see you. Yes, good to see you. Thank you, guys. Amazing.