Biography

Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman whose career has moved between children's television, mainstream pop, film, streaming comedy, and beauty entrepreneurship. She first appeared professionally on the children's series Barney & Friends from 2002 to 2004, then took small film and television roles before becoming a major Disney Channel star.

Gomez's breakthrough came with Wizards of Waverly Place, which premiered in 2007. As Alex Russo, a witty and mischievous teenager from a family of wizards, she anchored one of Disney Channel's most successful sitcoms. The role established her as a leading teen performer and earned her a broad international audience. She reprised Alex in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie in 2009 and later returned to the character for the series Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

While working in television, Gomez developed a parallel music career. In 2008 she signed with Hollywood Records and formed Selena Gomez & the Scene. The band released Kiss & Tell in 2009, A Year Without Rain in 2010, and When the Sun Goes Down in 2011. Their polished dance-pop sound produced radio successes including "Naturally," "Round & Round," and "Love You Like a Love Song."

Gomez began her solo recording career with Stars Dance in 2013. Its lead single, "Come & Get It," marked a shift toward a more mature pop style and became her first major solo hit. She followed it with Revival in 2015, an album shaped by electronic pop and restrained R&B influences. The singles "Good for You," "Same Old Love," and "Hands to Myself" helped establish Gomez as a solo artist rather than simply a former television performer.

Her third solo album, Rare, arrived in 2020. Its lead single, "Lose You to Love Me," became Gomez's first number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 and introduced a more intimate, understated vocal approach. She explored her Mexican-American heritage more directly on the Spanish-language EP Revelacion in 2021. The project received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.

Gomez has also built a substantial acting career outside Disney. Her film work includes Another Cinderella Story, Ramona and Beezus, Monte Carlo, Spring Breakers, The Fundamentals of Caring, and the Hotel Transylvania franchise, in which she voices Mavis. In 2024 she appeared in Jacques Audiard's musical crime film Emilia Perez, playing Jessi, the wife of the central character.

A major later turning point was Only Murders in the Building, the Hulu comedy-mystery series that premiered in 2021. As Mabel Mora, Gomez works alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, combining dry comic timing with a more mature dramatic performance. She is also an executive producer on the series, demonstrating a growing role behind the camera.

Beyond entertainment, Gomez founded Rare Beauty, a cosmetics company launched in 2020 around themes of self-acceptance and accessible design. Through the Rare Impact Fund, the company supports mental health services and youth-focused initiatives. This work has broadened Gomez's public identity from performer to entrepreneur and advocate.

In 2025, Gomez and producer Benny Blanco released the collaborative album I Said I Love You First. The record continued her preference for emotionally direct pop while presenting her in a more openly collaborative and personal musical setting. Across her career, Gomez has remained notable for turning an early image as a Disney star into a varied adult career spanning music, acting, production, and business.