Selena Gomez's Artist Evolution, From Disney Channel Dream to 'Revival' Ruler
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Selena Gomez has come a long way with her music. Just when you think you have her all figured out, the Disney Channel alum does a total 180 and switches things up on her fans. So to celebrate our brand-new artist evolution column, we figured taking a look back at all her music would be the perfect way to kick things off.
From releasing the ultimate pop jam "One and the Same" to accompany one of her first Disney Channel Original Movies in 2009 with Demi Lovato to doing the ultimate Revival for her 2015 album and working with A$AP Rocky, there’s no type of music Selena isn’t afraid to explore. Most recently she dabbled with the likes of EDM as she released her newest single “It Ain’t Me” with DJ Kygo, who also worked with her collaborator Charlie Puth. Now as she teased new music from the studio over the weekend on Instagram, we can’t help but wonder what she’ll surprise us with next.
The star certainly has her way of keeping people guessing. As you wait for her to wow you with her next hit, get lost in our roundup of all her tracks. (We’ll even take you all the way to her humble beginnings on Barney and Friends. Yes, the one and only purple dinosaur.) Selena has more than proved that she always has something completely different in store for her followers, which may be the very reason why they’re so devoted to her. Click through and let the nostalgia hit you hard.
Courtesy of Instagram/@selenagomez1/10She got her start on Barney and Friends.
Before she started recording her own music, Selena got major practice singing the classic “I Love You” song as Gianna on Barney. At just 10 years old, this is also where her friendship with Demi started. The girls met auditioning for the show, so perhaps Disney has the purple dinosaur to thank for discovering two of its biggest stars.
Craig Sjodin2/10Then Wizards of Waverly Place magically appeared.
Fast forward to five years later, Selena honed in her voice as the Disney classic’s memorable character, Alex Russo. Wizardry aside, there’s no middle child quite like her. The show essentially launched her career as it ended up being where she debuted her first solo single — which was also the series’ theme song — “Everything Is Not What It Seems.”
Jason Merritt3/10Let’s just say, she and Demi were “One and the Same.”
All the way down to their adorable music video for the theme song of their joint DCOM Princess Protection Program, Selena and Demi quite literally had a picture-perfect friendship. Just like her role in the movie, “One and the Same” was the moment where Selena narrowed in, believe it or not, her pop punk princess image. She and Demi never strayed away from their pop melodies, but you can really hear the electric guitar riffs that made the song so special.
Adam Taylor4/10She went on to take the lead.
The actress took music more seriously as she made a bigger effort to cross over with the band she formed under her label Hollywood Records, which she called Selena & the Scene. They released their debut studio album Kiss & Tell in 2009, right in the middle of her Disney series ‘Wizards of Waverly Place,’ so of course, Disney had her back in promoting their singles. (Remember when watching music videos on TV were still a thing?!) Around the same time the album came out, Selena drew pop punk inspirations from her fellow Texan band Forever the Sickest Kids as she appeared in a remix of their hit single “Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone).” She gave a solid Paramore performance that would have made their lead singer Hayley Williams proud. It all came full circle as Selena balanced out these heavy punk influences with her signature pop sound with the album’s hits including “Falling Down” and “Naturally.”
Mark Davis/KCA20135/10Pop went Selena.
She had Katy Perry to thank for her second studio album. The “Teenage Dream” singer pushed Selena to real in even more of her pop sound with the Selenator anthem “A Year Without Rain.” This was really the moment went Selena departed from the pop punk phase she had as a teenager. For those of you who used to have a ball at Hot Topic and rock knee high black and white checked socks, don’t be ashamed if your heart broke a little bit here.
Courtesy of YouTube6/10Who says, who says she’s not perfect?
We have to admit, this is really when Selena went full-on pop. Her third album featuring hits like “Who Says," “Love You Like a Love Song,” and “Whiplash” — which was actually written by none other than pop legend Britney Spears. There’s no doubt pulling off a Britney original got her to make the switch. Her biggest hit “Who Says” from the album was also one of the few times Selena paid tribute to her heritage and released a full Spanish version of a song. If you haven’t listed to it, look up “Dices” and get ready for your mind to be blown.
Theo Wargo7/10And so…lo it begins.
Selena took a hiatus from the Scene and officially went solo when she released her fourth studio album Stars Dance, just one year after the finale of ‘Wizards of Waverly Place.’ This time around, she went a different route with her pop music. The star experimented with bold electronic beats, creating music her fans can really dance to. Play the album’s hits “Come and Get It” and “Slow Down” and you’ll know exactly what we mean. Interestingly enough, she cited Justin Bieber’s biggest collaborators Skrillex as inspiration for this album, but contrary to popular belief her step in this direction apparently had nothing to do with him.
Don Arnold8/10The collaborations continue.
Leading up to the release of Revival, her biggest album yet, Selena jumped on the EDM bandwagon and collaborated with ex Zedd for their hit collab “I Want You to Know.” This album elevated her mainstream pop sound and resulted a Selena we’ve never heard before, especially with her track “Good for You” featuring rapper A$AP Rocky. Beyond delivering unexpected music that topped the charts, Selena gave a candid account of her life through this body of work. As this was after her heavily publicized breakup with Justin, she became vulnerable and let fans into her life in the spotlight. With other hits including “Same Old Love,” “Hands to Myself,” and “Kill ‘Em With Kindness,” it was a Selena no one really saw coming.
Kevin Mazur9/10Here and now.
Charlie Puth and Kygo were her latest collaborators proving how everything in her career contributed to her hits today. She and Charlie’s “We Don’t Talk Anymore” showcase the pop breakup ballads she’s known for, but her pop EDM collab with Kygo more than proves she’s not done growing. Selena is the type of artist that thrives in challenging herself and we guarantee “It Ain’t Me” is just the beginning. We can hardly wait for what she drops next!
