There is no denying Selena Gomez’s impact on pop music today. You can’t turn on the radio without hearing the sultry hits “Hands To Myself,” “Good For You,” or the sassy “Same Old Love.” Yet, is there anyone complaining about this? All three singles have reached the coveted #1 spot on the pop mainstream chart and Billboard’s Hot 100 top 10.
Selena Gomez is the first female artist in more than 5 years to have three or more singles reach #1 on the mainstream chart and she isn’t stopping either. Her next single “Kill ‘Em With Kindness” has the same trap-dance beat as “Hands” which could make it an instant smash. All these hit singles come off her #1 album, Revival, which was released last October.
Revival is a pop album that is perfect for any occasion. There are the club anthems “Me & The Rhythm” and “Body Heat.” The heartbreak jams like “Sober” and “Camouflage.” There also is the personal growth bops like “Revival” and “Survivors.”
Revival, arguably one of the best pop albums in the last 5 years, was a testament for Ms. Gomez. After a messy break up with the Prince of Pop (hi, Bieber), personal issues, a short stint in rehab, and heavy media attention, the pop superstar needed an outlet. Music became that outlet. She went into the studio with hitmakers like Max Martin and Zedd who showcased Selena’s sexy vocals. “This is my revival” is true in every sense of the statement. The record was a revival for the pop star. She was ready for the world to see a new side of her and we got it too. She was confident with her image and music. Something we truly wanted from her.
Selena Gomez is becoming a pop icon before our very eyes. She is transitioning beautifully from a Disney idol to a dance floor queen. Even Selena’s biggest influence, pop music legend Britney Spears, stated she listens to Revival. However, to truly understand how Selena is becoming a pop music icon- let’s take a look back at her career.
Selena started her career back in 2007 on Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. The show became an instant hit for the channel, propelling her to the top of the tween fixation happening at the time (Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, etc). They also noticed that Gomez could sing as well. Disney’s own Hollywood records signed her to a five-album record deal. They test ran her as a singer with the 2008 single “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” which was featured in film “Another Cinderella Story” (which she also started in). The single reached Billboard’s Top 60 chart and even landed in MTV’s TRL (R.I.P) top 10 video chart.
Hollywood Record’s was satisfied and started putting Selena’s first record together. They formed a band for her called “Selena Gomez and The Scene.” Their first album would be titled “Kiss & Tell” and was released in September 2009. The album went on to sell more than 700,000 copies in the United States (earning a Gold certification) and featured the pop smash “Naturally.” “Naturally” would become Selena’s first top 40 hit and platinum selling single.
After their debut album was released, Selena Gomez and the Scene would release two more albums (A Year Without Rain and When the Sun Goes Down), which featured a string of top 40 hits including “Who Says,” “Round & Round” and the mega-hit “Love You Like A Love Song.” The albums would both sell more than 600,000 plus in the states. Selena and her band would have 3 Gold albums and a string of hits under their belt yet Selena wasn’t satisfied. She wanted to evolve and produce more dance-club inspired music.
She broke up the band in 2012 and started working on her own album. Gomez’s first single without her band would be the Bollywood inspired ‘Come and Get It.” The single was sexy, fun and showcased a mature side of the former teen idol. Pop radio also ate up the catchy single. It would be Selena’s first Top 10 single on Billboard’s Hot 100 and her first #1 radio single. The single also went to sell more than 6 million digital copies worldwide. Truly, this was Selena’s first smash hit in pop music.
“Stars Dance” was released after “Come & Get It” huge success and debuted at #1. Selena Gomez’s first number #1 album. The album was sexy, dance driven and a huge departure from her previous albums. Fans loved the new sound from Gomez and made the single “Slow Down” a top 10 hit on pop radio as well. Selena’s transition was almost complete. However, she wanted to wrap everything up before she truly became an adult pop superstar.
She released a 2014 Greatest Hits album, For You, which ended her contract with Hollywood Records and included all her hits to date. The compilation also featured a new single titled “The Heart Wants What It Wants.” The single was about the rocky relationship she had with Justin Bieber and with lyrics like “There is a million reasons why I should give you up but the hearts wants what it wants,” she truly was showing her vulnerable side to her fans. The single became another top 10 hit for Selena peaking at #6 on Billboard’s Hot 100. After For You, Selena was a free agent and Interscope records (Lady Gaga, Eminem etc) signed her. She started to record her next album, Revival, and “Good For You” was released in July 2015. The rest is history.
There are so many reasons why Selena Gomez could become a pop music icon, however ,there is one real reason and that’s because she is doing her transition right. She is just the right amount of sexy without being “slutty.” She is not dancing around without no clothes on. She isn’t trying too hard to show people that she isn’t a Disney Channel star anymore (*cough* Demi Lovato). Also, the music is truly amazing.
She is making memorable pop music that is catchy, has amazing beats, and something people will remember. She knows what producers to work that will showcase her strengths and propel her to pop music stardom. She has everything it takes to be a pop music icon. She is gorgeous, she can sing, dance and she also writes some of her music.
She is smart about her fame. She isn’t running around drunk at parties and she always is classy. She is playing her cards right and hopefully this is only up for her. Gomez confirmed last month that she is already working on the follow-up to Revival. This upcoming album could be her best to date. Revival was her test run for her adult pop transition and it was a success. She is working with Max Martin again on this record but also is bringing more underground producers for this one. What will the sound be like? I guess we will have to wait and see, however, we are expecting great things. Selena, cheers to you! Keep making great pop music, gurl!
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