Selena Gomez

**Selena Marie Gomez** (/səˈliːnə məˈriː ˈɡoʊmɛz/ *sə-**LEE**-nə* *mə-**REE*** ***GOH**-mez*; Spanish pronunciation: [seˈlena ˈɣomes]; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress and singer. Having appeared as a child in the children's television series *Barney & Friends*, Gomez rose to fame as the leading role in the Disney channel series *Wizards of Waverly Place* (2007–12). Due to the success of the series, Gomez worked on various films, television shows, and musical collaborations for the network in the following years. She signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2008, and subsequently formed her band Selena Gomez & the Scene the following year. The band released three studio albums by 2011.

Gomez hoped to focus on her acting career by transitioning into film work, earning starring roles in films such as *Ramona and Beezus* (2010) and the romantic comedy *Monte Carlo* (2011). Gomez hoped to achieve a more mature image with a role in the exploitation film *Spring Breakers* (2013), as well as with the release of her solo debut album *Stars Dance* (2013). The album debuted atop the *Billboard* 200 in the United States, and included "Come & Get It". Gomez embarked on her Stars Dance Tour (2013), though it was later cancelled due to personal and medical struggles.

In 2014, Gomez fired her parents as her managers, and signed with the WME and Brillstein companies. During this time, she signed a new recording contract with Interscope Records, releasing a compilation album as her fifth and final release through Hollywood Records. Gomez released her second studio album, *Revival*, in October 2015. The album debuted at number one on the *Billboard* 200, while the first three singles all topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart in the United States. She embarked on her worldwide Revival Tour in 2016. Gomez is currently working on her third studio album.

Gomez has branched out from entertainment, releasing her own clothing line through Kmart in 2010 and a self-titled fragrance in 2013. Gomez formed her own production company in 2008, titled July Moon Productions; she is set to produce the Netflix original series *13 Reasons Why*. She has worked with various charitable organizations for years, and most notably became a UNICEF ambassador at the age of seventeen. Since the start of her career, Gomez has went on to sell over 6.7 million albums and 22 million singles worldwide, according to *Billboard*. Gomez has earned a number of awards and nominations for her work as an actress and singer, and has won an ALMA Award, a MTV Video Music Award, a Billboard Women in Music award, an iHeartRadio Music Award, a People's Choice Award and twelve Teen Choice Awards.

## Life and career

### 1992–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Selena Marie Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas on July 22, 1992, to Ricardo Joel Gomez and former stage actress Amanda Dawn "Mandy" Cornett. Gomez wasnamed after Tejano singer and actress Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who died in 1995. Her father is of Mexican descent while her mother, who was adopted, has some Italian ancestry. Regarding her Hispanic heritage, Gomez has stated, "My family does have Quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except [that we] go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church." Gomez's parents divorced when she was five years old, and she remained with her mother. Gomez has two siblings. Her sister, Gracie Elliot Teefey, was born to Amanda and her second husband Brian Teefey on June 12, 2013. Gomez has a second sister, Victoria "Tori" Gomez, born to Ricardo and his wife Sara on June 25, 2014. She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.

When Gomez was born, her mother was sixteen years old. The family had financial troubles during Gomez's childhood, with her mother struggling to provide for the pair. At one point, Gomez recalled the pair had tosearch for quarters just to get gas for their car. Her mother later recalled the two would frequently walk to their local dollar store topurchase spaghetti for dinner, though got by. Gomez stated, "I was frustrated that my parents weren't together, and never saw the light at the end of the tunnel where my mom wasworking hard to provide a better life for me. I'm terrified of what I would have become if I'd stayed [in Texas]." She later added that "[My mom] was really strong around me. Having me at 16 had to have been a big responsibility. She gave up everything for me, had three jobs, supported me sacrificed her life for me." Gomez had a close relationship with her grandparents as a child, and appeared in various pageants growing up. Her grandparents often took care of Selena while her parents finished their schooling, and the pair went as far as stating that they "raised her" up until she found success in the entertainment industry.

Selena first gained an interest in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry watching her mother prepare for stage productions. She began auditioning for various roles, meeting Demi Lovato during an audition for *Barney and Friends.* Both girls were later selected to appear on the series in 2002, with Gomez portraying the character of Gianna. The show was her first experience in acting, with Gomez recalling, "I was very shy when I was little [...] I didn't know what 'camera right' was. I didn't know what blocking was. I learned everything from *Barney."* Gomez appeared in fourteen episodes of the show between 2002 and 2004, though the show's producers released her as she was getting "too old" for the series. Whileworking on the series, Gomez had a cameo role in the film *Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over* (2003) and the made-for-television film *Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire* (2005). With experience now under her belt, Gomez auditioned for roles under the Disney channel company along with Lovato. Gomez made a guest appearance in a 2006 episode of the Disney series *The Suite Life of Zack & Cody*.

### 2007–12: Breakthrough with Disney and Selena Gomez & the Scene

Gomez was given a recurring role on the popular Disney channel series *Hannah Montana* in 2007, portraying pop star Mikayla. During this time, Gomez filmed pilot episodes for two potential Disney Channel series; the first, titled *Arwin!*, a spin-off of the *Suite Life* series, while the second was a spin-off of the series *Lizzie McGuire.* She later auditioned for a role in the Disney series *Wizards of Waverly Place*, ultimatelywinning the lead role of Alex Russo. Uponreceiving the role, Gomez and her mother moved to Hollywood; Lovato and her family also moved to Hollywood, hoping to achieve similar success to Gomez. *Wizards of Waverly Place* saw Gomez portraying a teenage girl in a family of wizards who own a restaurant in New York. The series quickly became a hit for the network, propelling Gomez to more mainstream success. The series received numerous nominations and awards. Gomez recorded the theme song for the series, titled "Everything is Not What It Seems." Gomez brieflydated fellow Disney star Nick Jonas in 2008. Gomez later appeared in the music video for the song "Burnin' Up", which the Jonas Brothers had recorded and released, and later, she also appeared in an episode of the reality series *Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream.*

While working on the second season of *Wizards of Waverly Place*, Gomez appeared on the Disney channelspecial *Studio DC: Almost Live* alongside various other Disney stars. She contributed a cover of the song "Cruella de Vil" to the compilation album *DisneyMania 6*, and later recorded the original song "Fly to Your Heart" for the soundtrack of the animated film *Tinker Bell.* She had a leading role, as an aspiring dancer, in the musical film *Another Cinderella Story* that same year. The film was released to generally positivereviews, and won the 2010 Writers Guild of America Award for Children's script-long form or special. Gomez recorded three songs for the soundtrack, and released one of them, "Tell Me Something I Don't Know", as apromotional single. Later that year, Gomez had the supporting role of Helga in the animated film *Horton Hears a Who!* The film was a commercial success, and went on to gross nearly three hundred million dollars worldwide. At 16 years of age, Gomez was signed to a recording contract with the Hollywood Records label, which had already signed both Cyrus and Lovato. Gomez formed her own production company in 2008, which she called July Moon Productions. She partnered with XYZ Films for the project, giving Gomez the opportunity to option articles, hire writers and create talent packages to shop to studios. Gomez was slated to release two films under the company. The first, titled *What Boys Want*, with Gomez as a girl who could hear the thoughts of men. She later announced the film *Thirteen Reasons Why*, in which she was to play a young girl who commits suicide; ultimately, neither film was released.

Gomez continued to have mainstream success throughout thefollowing year, appearing as Alex Russo in a crossover episode of the Disney series *The Suite Life on Deck*. She later made a guest appearance on the Disney series *Sonny With a Chance*, starring Lovato. She appeared in a remix of the Forever the Sickest Kids's single "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)", released as a single in April of that year. Gomez, along with Lovato, starred in the Disney Channel film *Princess Protection Program*, which aired in June 2009. The film was a critical success, and had a total of 8.5 million viewers during its premiere. For the film, Gomez and Lovato recorded the song "One and the Same", which was later released as apromotional single. She later provided the voice of Princess Selenia in the animated film *Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard.* On August 28, 2009, Gomez starred in *Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie*, a television film based on the series. The film premiered to an audience of 11.4 million viewers becoming cable's No. 1 scripted telecast of 2009 and Disney Channel's second most-viewed film premiere after *High School Musical 2.* The film won the series its second consecutive Emmy for "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hoping to achieve a successful crossover into music, Gomez formed the pop-rock band Selena Gomez & the Scene through her record deal with Hollywood Records. The name of the band is an "ironic jab" at the people who called Gomez a "wannabe scene." The group released their debut studio album in August 2009., which debuted atnumber nine on the *Billboard* 200 albums chart in the United States, with first week sales of 66,000 copies. The album received a mixed reception, some critics praised the album for its "fun" nature, while others criticized Gomez for her vocal performance. The lead single failed to have commercial success, however the second single was successful. With heavypromotion through Disney and performances, the song had success on radio and with sales. In 2010, Gomez starred as one of the two female leads in *Ramona and Beezus*, a film adaption of the children's novel series by Beverly Cleary. The film premiered on July 23, 2010, and it was met with generally positive reviews. Selena Gomez & the Scene released their second studio album that same year., which debuted on the US *Billboard* 200 at number 4 with sales of a little over 66,000. The album received mixed to positive reviews where some noticed that Gomez's vocals contained the Auto-Tune effect. The record's two singles both achieved moderate success. Having previously announced plans to launch a fashion line, Gomez launched Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez in 2010. The collection consisted of, and featured, bohemian dresses, floral tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, scarves and hats, all of which were made from recycled or eco-friendly materials. Gomez stated, "With my line, I really want to give the customer options on how they can put their own looks together [...] I want the pieces that can be easy to dress up or down, and the fabrics being eco-friendly and organic is super important [...] Also, the tags will all have some of my inspirational quotes on them. I'm just looking to send a good message." To design the actual items, Gomez teamed up with designers Tony Melillo and Sandra Campos, both of whom had previously worked with big-name fashion houses. Melillo and Campos teamed with New York-based Adjmi Apparel to manufacture the brand, which was formed by Adjmi CH Brands LLC, the holding company for the brand.

In 2011, Gomez starred in the film *Monte Carlo*. Her character Grace is teenager "mistaken for a socialite while on a trip to Paris." To prepare for the role, Gomez learned how to play polo and also took two weeks of vocal training to learn two different British accents. She also began a relationship with Justin Bieber that year, which lasted until 2014. Gomez appeared in a cameo role in the film *The Muppets* and appeared in the Disney shows *So Random!* and *PrankStars.* Selena Gomez & the Scene released their third and final studio album that same year. The album received mixed reviews, with the album's second single receiving a 4x Platinum certification from the RIAA. However, the album's lead single and last single both achieved moderate success. It was announced on July 14, 2011, that Gomez had signed a license agreement with Adrenalina, an extreme sports and adventure-themed lifestyle brand, to develop, manufacture, and distribute the actress's fragrance. Chairman and C.E.O. of Adrenalina, Ilia Lekach, said, "We are incredibly enthused to be working with Ms. Gomez and will revealmore details pertaining to the fragrance as we get closer to the launch date." The perfume was released in May 2012.

### 2012–14: Solo musical debut and personal struggles

Gomez confirmed in January 2012 that she would be taking a break from her music career, thus placing Selena Gomez & the Scene on an ongoing hiatus. That year, *Wizards of Waverly Place* officially ended its run on the Disney channel after four successfulseasons. Gomez hoped to focus on her filmcareer outside of Disney, and starred alongside Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi in the animated film *Hotel Transylvania* (2012). The film premiered at the 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival and was released on September 28, 2012. Gomez had a role in the controversial exploitation film *Spring Breakers* (2013), starring James Franco. The film saw Gomez in a more mature role than her previous works, and reportedly led to Gomez having a "bit of a meltdown onset." In 2013, Gomez starred in the film *Getaway*, alongside Ethan Hawke. The film was a critical and commercial failure, and earned Gomez a nomination for Worst Actress at the 34th Golden Raspberry Awards. She also starred in the Disney channelspecial *The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex* in 2013.

Gomez embarked on her Stars Dance Tour on August 14, 2013. The tour was set to continue throughout 2014, though Gomez cancelled the Australian and Asian leg of the tour in December 2013, claiming that she would be taking a hiatus to spend time with her family. In January 2014, it was reported that Gomez had spent two weeks at Dawn at The Meadows a treatment center in Wickenburg, Arizona that specializes in treating addiction and trauma in young people. Her representative stated that she had spent time there "voluntarily [...] but not for substance abuse." Despite initially neglecting to comment, Gomez confirmed in 2015 that she had been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease named lupus, and that she had cancelled the tour andentered rehab to undergo chemotherapy. Gomez appeared in the film *Behaving Badly* (2014) with Dylan McDermott and Nat Wolff. The project, filmed prior to Gomez's stint in rehab, was released in August 2014 to a generally negative critical and commercial reception. She later appeared in the film *Rudderless* (2014), the directorial debut of William H. Macy. The independent film received a mixed reception from critics.

In April of that year, it was reported that Gomez had fired her mother and stepfather as her managers; the two had managed Gomez since her career began. Gomez later signed with the WME and Brillstein companies to manage her career. The news of Gomez's new management also fueled rumors that her recording contract with Hollywood Records was ending, and that Gomez was searching for a new label. Gomez surprise released her new single "The Heart Wants What It Wants" (2014) on November 6, and confirmed after months of speculation that she would be releasing a compilation album as a means of finishing out her contract with Hollywood Records. The single went on to become her second top ten hit on the *Billboard* Hot 100 chart, and sold over one million copies in the United States. Gomez released her first solo compilation album, *For You* (2014), on November 24. The album received minimal promotion, and entered the *Billboard* 200 at number twenty-four. Gomez officially signed a recording contract with Interscope Records in December 2014.

### 2015–present: *Revival* and upcoming projects

While working on her second studio album, Gomez collaborated with Zedd for his single "I Want You to Know" (2015), released as the lead single from his sophomore album on February 23. The single became Gomez's fourth top twenty hit on the *Billboard* Hot 100, and received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Gomez became the face of hair-care brand Pantene in 2015. Gomez released "Good for You" (2015) as the lead single from her second studio album on June 22, 2015; the single features rapper ASAP Rocky. The song sold 179,000 copies in its first week of release alone, and went on to became her first top five hit on the *Billboard* Hot 100 in the United States. The single became Gomez's biggest radio hit at the time, and was her first to top the Mainstream Top 40 chart. In August 2015, Gomez appeared in the documentary *Unity* among many other actors and actresses. She reprised the role of Mavis in *Hotel Transylvania 2*, which was released on September 25; the film was met with a positive critical and commercial reception upon its release.

Gomez released her second studio album, *Revival* (2015), on October 9, 2015. The album was met with a positive reaction from critics, who praised the album'sproduction and lyrical content. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 117,000 equivalent album units. This remains Gomez's highest first week sales to date. "Same Old Love" (2015) was released as the album's second single, and went on to become her biggest radio hit to date, topping the Mainstream Top 40 chart. The single peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, tying with "Good for You" as her highest charting effort. "Hands to Myself" was the album's third single, which became her third consecutive number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. This made Gomez one of only six female artists to have three singles from the same album top the chart. Gomez had a cameo role in the film *The Big Short*, which was released on December 11 by Paramount Pictures. She was the musical guest on the January 23, 2016 episode of *Saturday Night Live*, with host Ronda Rousey.

Gomez embarked on her worldwide Revival Tour (2016) on May 6. Gomez claimed that the tour would focus solely on her as an artist, thus features less choreography and effects as her previous tour. Gomez had a supporting role in the comedy film *Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising*; she portrayed the president of a sorority. She starred in the drama film *The Fundamentals of Caring*, alongside Paul Rudd, which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2016. It is scheduled for wide release on June 24. She is alsoset to star in *In Dubious Battle* with James Franco; the film has no official release date. Gomez will also be the executive producer of the Netflix miniseries *13 Reasons Why*,based on the 2007 novel of the same name. Gomez has began working on her third studio album while touring, and added a new song titled "Feel Me" to the setlist of her Revival Tour. The album, which currently has no title or release date, will be her second release through Interscope Records.

In 2016 Charlie Puth and Gomez collaborated on a duet called "We Don't Talk Anymore," as part of Puth's debut studio album Nine Track Mind. The duet peaked at number 35 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 so far.

## Discography

See also: Selena Gomez & the Scene discography and Selena Gomez discographyGomez was the lead singer of the band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, releasing three studio albums and one remix album. She has released two studio albums, one EP and one compilation album in her solo career.

Selena Gomez & the Scene albums
* *Kiss & Tell* (2009)
* *A Year Without Rain* (2010)
* *When the Sun Goes Down* (2011)

Solo albums
* *Stars Dance* (2013)
* *Revival* (2015)