Selena Gomez: “De Una Vez” and Spanish Heritage | Apple Music

How are you? I'm good, man. Just staying safe and, you know, working on the Spanish stuff. In my mind, you sort of get yourself into a frame of mind, you cruise into your space, you capture a moment, you live with it, you really, really capture, you really make it as good as you can, and then you choose so deliberately when to release it, but the point being that you just don't seem to be in any hurry. No, definitely not. I think if anything, I've learned just that during this pandemic, you know, it's been pretty heavy, but in general, it's allowed me to be patient with my choices and, you know, obviously, I'm very vocal too about what's going on. But this has been something I've wanted to do for 10 years working on a Spanish project because I'm so, so proud of my heritage and, you know, just genuinely felt like I wanted this to happen, and it happened, and I feel like it's the perfect timing. Just with all the division in the world, there's something about Latin music that globally just makes people feel things, you know? It is a mood, and it is deep, and it is honest, and it gets to places in music that at times can feel really, I don't know, if people do it wrong, it can feel like they're overdoing it, and yet when you sing it in Spanish and put it over a song like this, it just feels perfect. It must have been really amazing to sing like this and to capture emotion in a different way than you have done before. You know what's funny is I actually think I sing better in Spanish. That was something I discovered. It was a lot of work, and look, you cannot mispronounce anything. It is something that needed to be precise and needed to be respected by the audience I'm going to release this for. Of course I want everyone to enjoy the music, but I am targeting my fan base, I'm targeting my heritage, and I couldn't be more excited. You said something really interesting just then, you want everyone to hear it, and I think thanks to artists like Rosalia, J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Cardi B, who brought a lot of those people in, all these groundbreaking moments, I think music is finding a new universal language, isn't it, in a strange way? I really agree. I think that it's something that I've always loved, and you're right, within those five years, it really became prominent, and you're starting to listen to half English, half Spanish on the radio more than ever, and it's a really exciting time. I just hope that people understand how much I put my heart into this, and how amazing I feel about it. All those stories, all those biographies, all those tales that have been told about you, it would be believed your name represents something very special before you even open your mouth and sing. There's legacy attached to it, thanks to your parents, before you even decided to be an artist. So in a weird way, this must be really special for you, because in some respects, it must feel like going home. No, it definitely is. And I was named after Selena Guthenia. So this is something that I think, you know, I feel the opportunity to create something like this is really huge. And you know, I think that I've loved how my parents just immersed me in all types of music. I mean, there wasn't anything, at first it was piano music, really, that I liked to listen to. And then that's when I noticed the difference in how, you know, like people mix in R&B with Spanish, or pop, or, you know, club music, it's really, really cool. One of the things I really appreciated seeing in the last kind of two years is the fact that you've been redefining what ego means to you. Let me try and explain that. You seem to be putting yourself in a situation where the ego doesn't control, subject matter wise, collaboration wise, and certainly when it comes to this, the idea of having to perform this meaningfully and authentically, you must have had to check your ego at the door. That's really kind of you to say because that's probably one of my, that's probably the most unattractive thing to me, is a little bit of ego. I think it's important to have confidence when you're creating the project. And of course, you want to be proud of it. But I've never really worked in an angle of that. I think that that's really what has been helpful for me to sustain wherever I am, because I take my time, I'm deliberate, and I try to be as efficient as possible. And I try to have meaning behind everything I sing, say, or perform. How challenging was it, not just to get the pronunciation in a way that felt comfortable to you and real to you, not like you were having to work at it, but also to capture the mood of a song like this? Because this song is, like I keep saying that word, but it is serious, like this one is like a moment. Yeah, thank you. I think, well, yes, so it took, it didn't take me long to really feel the mood of the music. You know, I think that, I think Spanish came very naturally to me. So there were obviously moments where there were specific timing, there were cues that were so quick that I had to learn that were challenging. But as far as being able to say and speak and roll my R's and do all of that, that's already in me, thank goodness, you know. So it was, it had its moments of being really smooth, and then just, I have a few things where I'm kind of speeding rapping Spanish, which is cool. As a music fan, not just as Selena Gomez, the artist and the performer and the writer, but as a fan, what you get out of listening to some of these artists, who are the key contemporaries that you see in the Spanish space right now? I fell in love with J Balvin immediately, like I, his music, obviously, I don't know, so I didn't fall in love with him, but I fell in love with him, and it was, and obviously being able to work with Tiny has been so great. Let's just talk about Tiny for a second. He's a genius. He's wild, and you know, he reminds me so much of some of my, of some of my favorite producers and the way that they carry themselves and move in certain spaces, and they live in a place where they're able to have identity, but they, it never comes at the sacrifice of who they're working with, so you kind of, they walk this line. What is it about, for you, about working with someone like Tiny, who is riding such a wave right now, but what did you learn from that? Honestly, what I feel like I learned the most is to listen to, like, listen to the rhythm, like being able to passionately write or create something based on the mood of what he creates, and I also got to be with him in person before all of this happened, and that's another reason why I think he's so talented, is because he genuinely just does what he loves. There's no ego attached, and I think that's why he's so talented. He just genuinely loves what he does and creates and loves it. I don't want to get ahead of myself when it comes to music, because this song deserves all the attention, but the one other thing I wanted to touch base with you on right now is the fact that you're picking your moments very deliberately to speak your mind and say what you feel, and as of recording right now, in the last couple of days, you said something that I thought was really prescient and really important, was you actually put focus on the information and the way we get it, rather than the people who are mis-spreading it, and as somebody who finds herself really very near, if not at the top of the mountain in all of these spaces in terms of influence and reach, you actually chose to question the intention behind it, and I wanted to take the opportunity, if it's all right with you, just to give you a chance to elaborate a bit on that, because I found that decision fascinating and really courageous. Thank you. I think that I started with reaching out to people immediately, like directly. I wasn't afraid to call out a Mark Zuckerberg or to speak what I wanted to speak, because I could not handle what I was seeing, and it's like, already we're getting progress, I can tell, with Facebook and stuff like that, but for me, I can't stand the fact that people have to know that there are neo-Nazi groups online, and that there's hate groups online, and misinformation from the US voting to, I mean, the COVID virus. It's just, they're not allowed to do that. This is supposed to be a place where people share their life, but not to create hate and to hurt people. This is just, and you know what? Hurt people, hurt people, and I just think that's what the bottom line is, and I get very passionate about it, so I can get creative, but I just think that it's necessary to call the people out who are responsible, but at the same time, being able to do what I can. In that moment, because I know that you're a sensitive human being as well, and I know the urine empaths you absorb as much as you try to find the courage to project. How do you know me so well? You know what, Selina, because I feel similar things, and I can identify in people who go through similar things. How do you find the bravery to break out of it, because the fact that you speak up makes a difference, but you could choose not to. Do you see, Zane, I did that for like 10 years. It's not time for it anymore. I don't care. Not in a careless way where I just want to hurt people's feelings. It genuinely happened because it needed to. How are you staying present right now? How are you finding equilibrium? I'm staying present by making sure I meditate. I just started doing that. I like get into a small space, and I've been doing everything that I can, but it's, you know, I don't want to be too out of the loop. You know, I want to make sure I know what's going on, but at the same time, I'm working on my TV show here in New York, so, you know, that's a great way to stay present and to hopefully create something that people are going to laugh at and enjoy during all of this. I've done all of the above. I've laughed at it. I'd like, and then my perfume, and then... I know. I heard. I heard, and I heard that, you know, that you're moving into physical self-care as much as mental health care, and that must be really nice to be able to translate that into a space where you're able to help people look good as well as feel good. Yeah. I mean, the whole mission of what I do is to show people that vulnerability is a strength, and I think that when it comes to appearances and things like that, it's also something that I think people care about a lot. I won't be complete without getting my Rare Beauty Fund to $100 million. That is my goal, while making people understand they're beautiful no matter what. Well, I can't help on the beauty front, but if there's anything I can do to help in any other way you achieve your goals, then just let me know, because I love the way you're moving right now and what you're trying to achieve and the way that you're entertaining but using it for purpose. Thank you so much. It's always good to see you. I always love to see you too. Talk to you soon.