The singer opened up about her life and relationships being put under the microscope of fame
Selena Gomez has been closely watched by the media and her fans, since the age of 15.
Now 27, with a former Disney career, three studio albums, producing credits and film roles under her belt, the star has reflected on times in her life that have felt ‘out of control’ in a new interview.
Speaking to Amy Schumer for Interview magazine, the ‘Can’t Keep My Hands To Myself’ singer spoke about the effect of depictions of her personal life on her career.
‘It got out of control when I was super young,’ she explained. ‘I think it showed people that I was weak in certain moments, and that I had troubles. Some people just get off on building people up and then trying to bring them down.’
Gomez was speaking in relation to Schumer asking if fans should ever be worried about the singer, explaining: ‘I’ve gone through some really difficult stuff, and because of those moments, whether I liked it or not, a picture was painted of my life.’
The Disney alum also revealed that she began to use social media to reclaim the narrative of her life, especially a few years ago, alluding to the intense publicity both her on-off relationship with Justin Bieber attracted and various health issues the singer experienced including a lupus diagnosis, kidney transplant, depression and anxiety.
‘My intention was never to become a tabloid,’ Gomez said. ‘So when things kind of happened that way, it got out of control. And then I was like, “Wait, none of this is true.” The way the media has sometimes tried to explain things has made it sound really bad, when in reality there’s nothing wrong with the fact that I needed to go away or that I fell in love. I had to start opening up because people were taking away my narrative and it was killing me. I’m so young and I’m going to keep changing, and no one has the right to tell me how my life’s going.’
Hear, hear.
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The insightful interview comes a couple of weeks after Gomez publicly disclosed for the first time, during an Instagram Live with fellow former Disney star Miley Cyrus, that she has bipolar disorder.
In the interview with Schumer, Gomez discussed choosing to use her platform to encourage conversation around mental health, saying: ‘I care, a lot. I’ve gone through a lot of medical issues, and I know that I can reach people who are going through similarly scary things—an organ transplant, or being on dialysis, or going away for treatment. A huge part of why I have a platform is to help people. That’s why I think I’m okay with the magnitude. I mean, I’m not really okay with it—but I’m going to say that I am because it’s worth it. I know that I’m making someone somewhere feel good, or feel understood or heard, and that’s worth it for me.’
