Selena Gomez in January 2023.Photo:Christopher Polk/NBC/NBC via Getty
Christopher Polk/NBC/NBC via Getty
Selena Gomezhas been anadvocate for self-lovethroughout her career — especially after she released her song “Who Says” at age 19.
The singer/actress revealed that the empowering 2011 hit actually almost went to another artist, and she “fought” to be able to keep it and release it with her act Selena Gomez and the Scene.
TheOnly Murders in the Buildingstarspoke about her journeyconvincing Disney to let her sing the beloved song atTwilio’s SIGNAL conferenceon Wednesday. “It’s actually a funny story: I was working with Disney at the time, and they were actually giving the song to another artist,” the “Love You to Love Me” singer said.
She recalled just how emotional she was about making “Who Says” her own and sharing it with her audience. “And I cried — I remember, I was with my mom — because I loved the song so much. I basically said to my label, ‘I feel like my fans are young and they need it.’ That’s all I kept saying because I was 16 at the time. I was like, ‘I think my fans really need it; tell [them] my fans really need the song.’”
“And I love, love that song, and it has carried with me through my whole career, and I fought for it,” theRare Beauty entrepreneurcontinued. The “Calm Down” artist also shared that she feels like she often still needs to hear the message behind the song, which repeats, “Who says you’re not perfect / Who says you’re not worth it.”
Selena Gomez performs in June 2016.Scott Legato/Getty
Scott Legato/Getty
Upon the release ofWhen the Sun Goes Downin 2011,she toldBillboardhow much the song meant to her at the time. The recording artist said, “It’s probably my favorite I’ve ever recorded. I think it’s really meaningful and it’s kind of a big anthem. It went platinum so it’s my second song ever that’s platinum. I was really excited, I was in the car when I found out promoting the third album. It gave me a big boost.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The pop star is gearing up torelease new music. Last week, Gomezannounced her first songin nearly a year, “Single Soon," will be released on Friday via Interscope Records.
A press release stated that Gomez “wanted to give her fans a fun end of the summer song to enjoy as they’ve been patiently waiting for new music.”
source: people.com
