The 'Lose You to Love Me' singer said she will give her music career one last shot before deciding whether to end her career.
Singer Selena Gomez is ready to call it quits from an industry that can be quite unforgiving. The 28-year-old said she doesn't see a future in the music industry but will it give it one final shot before deciding whether to call curtains on her illustrious career. Gomez said she felt sidelined despite delivering some of her best work. "It's hard to keep doing music when people don't necessarily take you seriously. I've had moments where I've been like, 'What's the point? Why do I keep doing this?'" she said in an interview with Vogue. The actor and singer is on the magazine's April cover.
Gomez felt she deserved more credit for her music. "Lose You to Love Me I felt was the best song I've ever released, and for some people, it still wasn't enough. I think there are a lot of people who enjoy my music, and for that, I'm so thankful, for that I keep going, but I think the next time I do an album it'll be different. I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music." Gomez released her first album — Kiss & Tell — in 2009 and has since gone on to release two more albums under the band Selena Gomez & the Scene.
Cardi B revealed she's a huge fan of Gomez and urged the singer to not give in to the pressure that comes with the industry. "I don’t think Selena should retire. She makes good music and her fans love her," said Cardi, reported Billboard. "I think she needs one more Era. An edgy one that no one ever has seen her as. I would love to give her some ideas," she added. Cardi B also said that she really likes Gomez as a person. She is "such a sweetheart in person. Us celebs get picked apart all the time but she is just too sweet to go through that. If she wants to leave, leave cause you want to, not cause of these f--kers."
One only needs to look at the treatment meted out to Britney Spears to understand what an unforgiving and toxic place the music industry can be, especially to women. The new documentary Framing Britney Spears has highlighted how the media and the industry fed off the singer's fame, pushing her to the deep end as she suffered from mental health issues. She was relentlessly stalked as a 24-year-old divorced mother of two with postpartum depression. While the music industry and the media found new scapegoats, Spears's father was handed conservatorship of her estate. Justin Timberlake made a public apology to Spears and Janet Jackson and said he "fell short" and added that he "benefitted from a system that condones misogyny and racism."
Spears touched on the pressures of the industry when she was asked about her children potentially entering the music industry. "I'd definitely keep an eye on them. I wouldn't want them to go into it feeling fearful, and also nobody can really prepare you for this industry and what you experience," said the singer, reported The Hollywood Reporter. "I'd just be very protective."
Gomez is very self-aware and knows she's put in all the hard work to get to where she is now. She's also aware of her privilege, especially during the pandemic. “I feel guilty for my position a lot,” said Selena. “I feel like people are hurting, and I feel responsible with my platform to do something about it. To share that it’s hard for me, too. To cheer them up. I know that this wasn’t just given to me, I know that I’ve worked so hard to get here. I know that all of this is my purpose. But, because of the way I was raised, I just can’t help but think, I wish I could give people what I have,” she added.
Gomez launched her makeup line Rare Beauty in 2020. According to Variety, 1% of the product sales, amongst other funds, will go to the Rare Impact Fund to support mental health services.
References:
https://www.vogue.com/article/selena-gomez-cover-april-2021
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9538445/cardi-b-talks-selena-gomez-music-retirement/
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/britney-spears-opens-up-pressures-228539
https://variety.com/shop/selena-gomez-rare-beauty-1234761416/
Cover image credit: Getty Images | Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
