Selena Gomez‘s fans will be disappointed to know that her focus remains on acting — instead of music.
During a panel at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, February 9, Gomez, 35, hinted that she is “ready to just focus on” acting for films and TV after starring in Emilia Pérez, saying, “I think film and art-making and being around such incredible, talented people that have done nothing but uplift me along the way. It’s going to be very hard for me to ever go back to music after this.”
Gomez discussed Emilia Pérez‘s success, which included 13 Academy Award nominations. “The director just really trusted me and I was so grateful because I’ve gotten to show people that I am capable of doing more. I hope that this is just the beginning for me,” she added.
After getting her start as a child actress, Gomez scored the lead role on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. The opportunity paved the way for Gomez to explore music with her band, Selena Gomez & the Scene. They released three studio albums from 2009 to 2011 before Gomez pursued a solo career.
Selena Gomez Through the Years: Photos
Gomez dropped her first solo record in 2013 and was later nominated for a Grammy Award for her fourth EP, Revelación, which was up for Best Latin Pop Album in 2022. In addition to her music career, Gomez continued to leave her mark in the industry but has recently shifted her focus back to acting with Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building and Emilia Pérez.
Gomez’s potential music pause comes more than a year after she last released new songs. Gomez dropped “Love On” in February 2024 following 2023 hits “Single Soon” and “Calm Down.” At the time, the actress admitted she wasn’t in a rush to return to the studio.
“The older I get, the more I’m kind of like, ‘I would like to find something to just settle on,’” she explained on the “SmartLess” podcast in 2024. “I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting.”
Gomez added: “You’re right [I don’t have to choose between the two], but I am going to want to chill, because I’m tired.”
While discussing her professional accomplishments, Gomez revealed that her heavy workload has taken a toll, adding, “I went to a mental institute and canceled one of my tours. It just got to me because I love working and it distracts me from bad things.”
Gomez previously discussed her mental health struggles in her documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. The Apple TV+ special, which was released in 2022, explored her highs and lows between 2016 and 2020.
Selena Gomez’s Mental Health Battle in Her Own Words
“She poured her heart and soul into this and it took a heck of a lot of courage to go as deep into her journey as she did,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2022 about the documentary. “As happy and centered as she is now, this is someone who freely admits she’s hit the wall numerous times in her life and had to rebuild and reset herself when all hope may have seemed lost.”
The source continued, “She’s grateful to have had these second chances, especially as it gives her the opportunity to help others and send that message loud and clear that anything is possible if you have the right mentality and tools at your disposal.”
Despite not being focused on music, Gomez recently hinted she was working on new tracks with fiancé Benny Blanco. The duo met after working together on Gomez’s hit songs “Same Old Love” and “Kill Em With Kindness” from her 2015 album, Revival, and Blanco was also a collaborator on “Single Soon.”
