A talent on the screen and the stage, Selena Gomez has had an impressive multi-hyphenate career for over two decades. And she’s only 30.
Videos by American Songwriter
Her music is arguably the most notable of her many career feats as she continues to rack up acclaim for hit after hit. While a connoisseur of dance-ready chart-toppers, much of Gomez’s work also verges on songs soul-baring and surrendering. Below is a list of 10 Selena Gomez songs that prove her musical prowess.
[RELATED: Emotional First Look into New Selena Gomez Documentary]
10. “My Mind & Me”
Recorded for her 2022 documentary of the same name, one which follows Gomez over the course of six years as she battled lupus, kidney failure, and depression, “My Mind & Me” is one of the most personal songs in her catalog.
My mind and me / We don’t get along sometimes / And it gets hard to breathe / But I wouldn’t change my life, she sings on the intimate track set to delicate piano.
9. “Lose You to Love Me”
You promised the world and I fell for it / I put you first and you adored it / Set fires to my forest / And you let it burn / Sang off-key in my chorus / ‘Cause it wasn’t yours, the star sings in her aching “Lose You To Love Me.”
The deeply personal lead single from her 2019 album, Rare, “Lose You To Love Me” is a heartbreaking, but hopeful song about self-discovery after a destructive relationship. I needed to lose you to find me / This dancing was killing me softly / I needed to hate you to love me, the chorus echoes with pain, but also with healing.
8. “Good For You” feat. A$AP Rocky
From her 2015 sophomore release, Revival, “Good For You” is an enticing, beat-heavy ballad full of heat and confidence.
“There’s nothing wrong with a woman being comfortable, confident, [or] whatever it is that you feel,” she said in an On Air with Ryan Seacrest interview upon the song’s release. “I love that, I love feeling like I’m in love and want to look good for someone. At the same time, there’s no guy in the [music] video, I’m saying I am a diamond, and I like the way that women feel when they’re in that state.”
7. “Slow Down”
I just wanna feel your body right next to mine / All night long / Baby, slow down the song, plays the 2013 pop banger “Slow Down.”
Featured on her debut solo album, Stars Dance, “Slow Down” marked a distinct shift in her career. With lines like, You know I’m good with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, providing the song with a little shock and awe, Gomez seemed to separate herself from the Disney Channel child star fans were well-acquainted with.
6. “Hands To Myself”
Gomez has often said “Hands To Myself” is her favorite track from the 2015 album, Revival. The sultry synth-pop single features her unique vocal stylings, ranging from breathless to commanding all in the same verse.
“It’s actually one of the last songs I recorded for the album,” she explained in an interview with iHeart Radio. “We wrote it in a day, and it was incredible because I had this sass. It’s really different, and it’s fresh, and it’s kind of got this Prince-y vibe to it. I really appreciate that it’s kind of different from everything else.”
5. “The Heart Wants What It Wants”
Save your advice, ’cause I won’t hear / You might be right, but I don’t care / There’s a million reasons why I should give you up / But the heart wants what it wants / The heart wants what it wants, Gomez sings in the beat-driven “The Heart Wants What It Wants.”
From her 2014 compilation album, For You, “The Heart Wants What It Wants” is another song that leaves the singer laid emotionally bare. Illustrating the highs and lows she experienced in her longtime on-and-off relationship with fellow pop star Justin Bieber, the song is a relatable tug-of-war between love and logic.
4. “Calm Down” with Rema
Muscular beats are met with tranquil strings and warm vocals for a dreamy soundscape in the Afrobeats song, “Calm Down.” Originally released by Nigerian artist Rema on his 2022 debut, Rave & Roses, Gomez joined the singer for a remix a few months later. Together, their version topped global charts.
3. “Same Old Love”
I’m so sick of that same old love, that shit, it tears me up / I’m so sick of that same old love, my body’s had enough, Gomez sings against punching keys and whistling synths in the song “Same Old Love,” continuing with I’m so sick of that same old love, feels like I’ve blown apart / I’m so sick of that same old love, the kind that breaks your heart.
[RELATED: Selena Gomez Confirms New Music in the Works: “I’m Ready to Have Some Fun”]
Another hit from her 2015 album, Revival, “Same Old Love” is an electro-pop banger full of fed-up attitude, showcasing the singer’s grit and tenacity as she continues to liberate herself from child star restraints one song at a time.
2. “Come & Get It”
The bhangra-tinged dance-pop tune, “Come & Get It,” is an infectious bop set to a striking tabla beat. Appearing on her 2013 solo debut, the song is a left turn from the rest of her catalog, but it is an undeniable hit just the same.
1. “Love You Like A Love Song”
I, I love you like a love song, baby, Gomez repeatedly chants in “Love You Like A Love Song.”
The 2011 tune she released with her former band as Selena Gomez & the Scene is repetitive but infectious. You can’t help but sing along to the simplistic lyrics set to a dance-friendly electro-pop vibration.
Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for AFI
