Award-Winning Recording Artist, Actress
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$50 Million
"I've learned there's power deep down inside yourself, and you can find it when you don't give up on yourself and when you ask for help." Selena Gomez is a 26-year-old superstar and international icon. Originally getting her start in entertainment as a child actor on Barney & Friends, Selena has gone on to become one of the most accomplished young artists in the world.
While currently known for her work as a recording artist, Gomez is actually a decorated professional with her hands in many different industries. Gomez has performed on television since she was a child, she's starred in several major motion pictures, and Gomez has even begun to work as a producer. Right when you start to feel okay about yourself, a 26-year-old superstar blows your accomplishments out of the water!
When looking through Selena's life story, we must all remember that her career is still in its infancy. Having said that, Gomez has done more by 26 than most of us will do in our lives. With the table set, let's get to know one of America's biggest pop stars.
The Early Life of Selena Gomez
Most of us are not born into greatness, we end up finding it through our own hard work. Selena Gomez was born on July 22nd, 1992 to parents Ricardo Joel Gomez and Amanda Dawn Cornett. Growing up in the town of Grand Prairie, Texas, Gomez was named after the famous Tejano singer, Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Perhaps the name served as more than just a reference to a prior pop-star.
Inspired by her mother's passion for acting, Gomez decided that she wanted to audition for Barney & Friends (2002). During her audition, Gomez would meet Demi Lovato. Gomez would land the role on PBS, and she would appear regularly on the show for just over two years. Gomez would eventually be let go from the program when she started to age out of the target demographic of the show.
Gomez's early life was rocked when her parents decided to call their relationship quits. Gomez would watch her parents get divorced when she was only five years old. Gomez opted to stay with her mother. Gomez has readily admitted to the struggles that her family had been facing at the time. Poor and seemingly stuck in Texas, Selena and her mother desperately wanted a better life. Selena's mother had her when she was just 16-years-old, and she had to work three jobs just to provide for a young Selena.
Fortunately for Selena, a better life was right around the corner. Her early success on Barney would impress the producers. Soon, Gomez was working on projects like Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2006). At this point in time, Gomez was on the verge of becoming a child superstar. Soon, Disney would come calling.
Selena Goes to Disney
Due to her humble origins, Selena knew how big of a deal it would be to find success in Hollywood. When the Disney Channel came calling, the Gomez family was all ears. Gomez would get cast in a recurring role on Hannah Montana (2007). Suddenly, Gomez wasn't performing for a small audience. Before long, Gomez was on track to record her own TV series. Gomez would film several spin-off pilots before landing the lead role in Wizards of Waverly Place (2007) as Alex Russo. At this point in time, the Gomez family knew that the career was for real, and they ended up moving to Hollywood.
With Wizards of Waverly Place granting Gomez a new level of celebrity, her star was quick to burst. Gomez would appear in 106 episodes of the popular Disney Channel program. During that time, Gomez would begin to cultivate a following for her musical skills. She would sing the theme song for Waverly Place. Selena would also collaborate with the Jonas Brothers on their music video, 'Burnin' Up'. Selena would have a brief relationship with Nick Jonas, though the two would stay together for less than a year.
At the age of 16, Selena Gomez would steer her attention toward the music industry. She would sign a contract with Hollywood Records. The famous label was already working with both Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus. Gomez would go on to release a pair of solo albums, Stars Dance (2013) and Revival (2015), while also collaborating on three records with her band, Selena Gomez & the Scene. Suddenly, Selena's voice was center stage and Disney could not get enough of her. Gomez would record a track for the animated Disney film, Tinker Bell (2008) and she would end up voicing characters in several popular animated films, including Horton Hears a Who (2008).
With Wizards of Waverly Place one of Disney's most popular programs, a feature film was inevitable. Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009) would end up being Disney's second most popular film-premiere, losing only to High School Musical 2. Selena would win an Emmy Award as part of the project. It was at this point that Selena opted to pursue music with her entire focus.
While Selena was riding a tidal wave to the top of Hollywood, setbacks were beginning to show up. Selena had a high-profile relationship with Justin Bieber that served to galvanize their respective fanbases. To add to her problems, Gomez would be diagnosed with lupus in 2015. The young Disney star would eventually be forced to receive a kidney transplant in 2017. Gomez has since become something of an icon for the illness.
Gomez would eventually take a break from music in order to place more of an emphasis on her acting work. Gomez would co-star in the controversial film Spring Breakers (2013) alongside James Franco. The film was significantly darker than anything Gomez had done in her career and it was met with mixed reviews. During this timeframe, Gomez reneged on her promise to take a break from music. Gomez would release her first solo album, Stars Dance, to mixed reviews. Gomez's follow-up record, Revival, would be met with warm reactions both critically and commercially. The album would reach the top spot of the Billboard 200 with over 117,000 total sales in its first week, alone. To date, Gomez has recorded more than 7 million album sales and 22 million single sales around the world.
Most recently, Selena Gomez has been focused on her work as an actress and producer. Gomez was an executive producer on the hit Netflix series, Thirteen Reasons Why (2017). From there, Gomez would be cast in a Woody Allen project, A Rainy Day in New York (2017). Gomez would go on to donate her entire salary from the film to the #TIMESUP movement. Gomez would go on to star in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) and The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle (2020). Selena Gomez is also set to appear in a horror movie from iconic filmmaker Jim Jarmusch called, The Dead Don't Die (2019).
Outside of music and film, Gomez has endorsed a series of products ranging from Sears and Adidas to Louis Vuitton. Gomez is also an activist as she has worked with the UR Votes Count campaign and Disney's Friends for Change.
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