Selena Gomez is a famous face we’ve known for over 20 years. Making her acting debut on Barney & Friends aged 10 in 2002, her breakout moment came when she fronted Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place in 2007. And like every true Disney darling, she followed in the footsteps of Raven-Symoné, Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus – and paved the way for the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Dove Cameron who would come after her – by releasing her debut album in 2009.
Alongside her band, Selena Gomez & The Scene released three US Top 10 albums before Gomez went solo in 2013, with all three of her solo albums so far reaching #1 stateside. But now, the Only Murders in the Building star has a new collaborator – her fiancé Benny Blanco.
Blanco – real name Benjamin Levin – is a well-established songwriter and producer, having made such as Teenage Dream for Katy Perry, Diamonds for Rihanna and Love Yourself for Selena’s ex Justin Bieber to name a few.
Gomez and Blanco – who announced their engagement in December 2024 – have now released their first collaborative album, I Said I Love You First, and the reviews are now in. So, how does it stand up to their previous work?
Mike DeWald of Riff magazine says, ‘I Said I Love You First sees two musicians find their musical and personal chemistry. The lyrics are real and hit the mark, while the emotions feel authentic; maybe sometimes too personal. Still, the journey was worth taking.’
He adds, ‘The album is at its best in both its quietest and loudest moments. Don’t Wanna Cry is a slick mid-tempo groove with an accented ‘80s bass line. The rhythmic I Can’t Get Enough also qualifies as a certified banger.’
Robin Murray of Clash wrote, ‘This album is a genuine thrill. The sound of two people frankly discussing their relationship – from cute-meet to current status, alongside the ups and downs – is extremely rare in pop, particularly when done this well. Avoiding the pitfalls through moving with assurance, I Said I Love You First will have you in raptures.’
Meanwhile, Page Six’s Nicholas Hautman praised, ‘I Said I Love You First allows Gomez — who last released an album in 2020 — to take center stage again as a pop princess, while Blanco stays in the background and focuses on the project’s sometimes stellar, other times chaotic production.
‘The Grammy nominees close the curtain on a vulnerable note, with Gomez telling Blanco on the voicemail-like Scared of Loving You that breaking up would destroy her. It’s a good thing these two were made for each other, then,’ but gave the record just two out of four stars.
Many reviews – and fans online – are widely discussing the lyrical content of the album, with three songs in particular garnering speculation about who they could be about.
Which Selena Gomez's songs are about Justin Bieber on her new album?
Naturally, people have speculated that some of the more cutting songs on the album are about Selena’s most famous ex, Justin Bieber, who she dated on and off from 2010 to 2018.
In How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten, Selena sings, ‘Cause you walked in, big-ass grin / Talkin’ like we’re friends, honey, what were you thinkin’? / He loves me, I love him / Look at you, just look at you now.’ The last line references Selena’s 2020 hit Look At Her Now, which spoke about regaining confidence after their break-up.
On You Said You Were Sorry, she says, ‘Don’t think about you / Happy without you / More now than I ever was / But I had a dream / You said you were sorry / Sorry for everything / We finally both forgave / I had a dream, that’s all it was / Yeah, that was enough for me.’
And on Younger And Hotter Than Me, it is believed the 32-year-old is referring to her Bieber, who is now married to 28-year-old Hailey Bieber. She sings, ‘Wish I never loved you / We're not gettin' any younger / But your girlfriends seem to.’
However, Selena alluded in an interview that the inspiration for the album didn’t come from Bieber. She told Spotify’s Countdown To…, ‘I would like to say most of this album has nothing to do with what everyone may go to. And I think it’s important for me to say that because I’ve evolved so much, and I have experienced life with new people.
‘I’ve had a whole new life forever so it’s up for whatever people want [to interpret the songs as] but to me it was about both of our pasts and our history and also just inspired by friends and relationships, like some songs were actually meant [to be] about friendships in my life and I think that’s what to me the album was about, and I just wanted to get that out there because that was really important to me.’
I Said I Love You First is out now.
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.