Selena Gomez was born on July 22, 1992 to a Mexican American father and half Italian mother. Named after popular singer Selena, she was raised alone by her mother in Grand Prairie, Texas when her parents divorced. Her mother Mandy later remarried when Selena was 14.
Little Selena grew up watching her mother prepare for performances. At 7, she got a role in "Barney and Friends" and later in "Spy Kids 3-D; Game Over". Her talent was discovered by Disney Channel through nationwide search. Her first stint on the channel was a guest star on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and "Hannah Montana". Blessed with potential, Selena was given her own show as one of the three kid wizards on "Wizards of Waverly Place".
Besides pursuing career in television, Selena scored minor roles in "Another Cinderella Story" and "Horton Hears a Who!". Her career in Disney got the boost as fellow teenage star Demi Lovato also gained popularity. Together, the best friends starred in a TV movie called "Princess Protection Program". Due to the success of her TV series, Disney ordered the production of "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie".
Since then, Selena enjoyed the title of Disney darling. Known for acting, Selena also thrives on singing. She recorded for a Disneymania album and "Another Cinderella Story" soundtrack. Hollywood Records then presented her with recording contract in 2008. She struck a close friendship with the members of Forever the Sickest Kids and made a collaboration on a song titled "Whoa Oh!".
Selena then formed a music band and called them The Scene. The first album "Kiss & Tell" was released in September 209 with its first single titled "Naturally". The album peaked at No. 9 on Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum by RIAA.
Selena's first major breakout into the movie world was as one of the titular characters in "Ramone and Beezus". Movie offers kept rolling since then, including "Monte Carlo" and "13 Reasons Why". At the same time, Selena announced her last year on "Wizards of Waverly Place".
Selena is also known for her philanthropic works such as being the ambassador for UNICEF. She has done numerous efforts to provide clean water for Ghana and encouraged children to be environmentally-friendly through Disney's Friends for Change.
Business-wise, Selena developed a production house called July Moon Productions and launched a clothing line called Dream Out Loud. Since she is a green advocate, the line features recycled or eco-friendly materials.
Selena Gomez and the Scene began recording their second studio album in 2009. The effort titled "A Year Without Rain" was eventually released in September 2010 and did even better on Billboard 200, compared to their previous album.
Selena's personal life was put on the spotlight right after she shot to massive fame. She was first rumored dating fellow Disney star Nick Jonas before distance separated them. But her biggest high-profiled relationship was with Justin Bieber. They went on some public appearances together when both of their careers were at peaks.
In early 2011, Selena began promoting her third studio album with the release of "Who Says". Speaking of the song, she said, "I think this song is such a great message for my fans, and it really touched me when I heard it, and I thought it would be perfect for them." The album, "When the Sun Goes Down", hit the shelves on June 28, 2011 and was followed by a world tour.
In 2013, Selena took part in R-rated movie "Spring Breakers" in addition to readying her fourth album. The effort titled "Stars Dance" became her first project as a solo artist. After putting out the album which landed atop Billboard 200, she shifted her focus back on acting. She appeared in "Getaway", "Behaving" and "Rudderless" among others before announcing her first hit solo album called "For You" in late 2014.
The album marked Selena's last project with Hollywood Records. In early 2015, she joined Insterscope Records and sparked dating rumors with labelmate Zedd after they were spotted together in multiple occasions. At the same time, it was rumored that Selena had called it quits with Justin Bieber after so much drama in their relationship. It was later revealed that Selena and Zedd were working on a collaboration for the DJ's new album. Their collaborative track "I Want You to Know" arrived in February 2015 as the lead single off Zedd's "True Colors".
Later in June, Selena announced her own single "Good for You". Featuring a guest verse from A$AP Rocky, the song served as the first offering from Selena's first album for Insterscope. Her second solo project "Revival" was then released on October 9. The set was given positive reviews by critics, and it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200.
Selena embarked on her worldwide "Revival Tour" on May 6, 2016. After touring across North America, Asia and Oceania, she canceled the European and South American leg of the tour in August due to anxiety, panic attacks and depression caused by lupus. Following the cancellation, Selena rechecked into rehab to focus on her mental health and was noticeably absent from social media. She made her first public appearance since the rehab at the 2016 American Music Awards.
In the following year, Selena was caught kissing The Weeknd in Los Angeles. The two eventually confirmed their relationship by posting a photo of each other on Instagram. Selena was then back into the music scene as her collaboration with Kygo, "It Ain't Me", arrived in February, reaching the top 10 on Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Amid her busy schedule as an executive producer of Netflix's series "13 Reasons Why", Selena has been hitting the studio to work on new album. She reportedly enlists Ryan Tedder, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter and more for the upcoming effort. On June 18, Selena gave fans the first taste of her new album with single "Bad Liar".
"Bad Liar" was received very well by both fans and music critics, being listed as the best single of 2017 by Billboard. It also reached the top 20 in music charts all around the world, including Australia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Lebanon and New Zealand. Following the success of the single, Selena released another single titled "Fetish" on July 13 as well as a Marshmello collaboration called "Wolves" on October 25. Just like "Bad Liar", the two singles were also well-received by music lovers.
Besides treating fans with three new singles that year, Selena also gave fans an update on her battle with lupus. She announced via Instagram in September that she had received a kidney transplant from her actress friend Francia Raisa. During the transplant, Selena broke an artery that prompted her to undergo an emergency surgery to build a new artery using a vein from her leg. Fortunately for her, the emergency went well.
Later in November, Selena was recognized as the Billboard Woman of the Year for frequently inspiring young women all around the world to be authentic and to not be afraid to raise their voices. She joined an illustrious group of previous Woman of the Year honorees, including Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
2018 was also a busy year for Selena. In addition to releasing a new single "Back to You" for the soundtrack of "13 Reasons Why" season 2, she reprised her role as Mavis in "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation", which was premiered in July. In that same month, Los Angeles prosecutors announced that a New Jersey woman had been charged with hacking into email accounts belonging to the singer.
Later in September, Selena joined forces with DJ Snake, Ozuna and Cardi B for "Taki Taki", which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart and won several music awards. Shortly after the release of the song, Selena checked into a rehab facility for her mental health issue. Her stay in the facility didn't last long, though, as she was released a month later.
She continued spending relaxing time with friends following her rehab stint, until later in February 2019, Selena joined forces with Benny Bianco, Tainy and J Balvin for "I Can't Get Enough". She also appeared in Jim Jarmusch's film "The Dead Don't Die" and executive produced Netflix docuseries "Living Undocumented" that followed eight undocumented families in the United States.
Selena began the promotion of her third studio album in October, releasing its lead single "Lose You to Love Me", which debuted at No. 15 on Billboard's Hot 100, as well as "Look at Her Now".