On Oct. 16, Selena Gomez began posting photos on Instagram with cryptic captions that appeared to be song lyrics, according to her fans. Two days later, she confirmed via Instagram that her new single “Lose You to Love Me” would be released Oct. 23. 

This marked Gomez’s long-awaited return to music. Her last studio album, “Revival,” was released back in 2015. Since 2015, she has released several singles such as 2018s “Back to You,” written for Netflix’s popular television series “13 Reasons Why,” where Gomez serves as executive producer. She has also worked on a docu-series, “Living Undocumented,” which has just been released on Netflix. 

Back in 2017, Gomez released single “Bad Liar” and has since collaborated with other artists on popular songs such as “Taki Taki” and “Wolves.” However, “Lose You to Love Me” marks the beginning of a new era for Gomez, with a full unnamed studio album promised by Gomez herself. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest on Oct. 24, Selena explained, “It’s been four years since I’ve been working on this album, and it’s actually perfect timing because I was going to release it two years ago and none of the words that I’m speaking would have existed.” 

“Lose You to Love Me” was released alongside a melancholy black-and-white music video. The song also possesses an extremely emotional and vulnerable tone, as it allegedly addresses one of her most famous relationships and breakups, Justin Bieber. Lyrics such as “In two months, you replaced us/ Like it was easy/ Made me think I deserved it/ In the thick of healing, yeah” hint at the brief reconciliation between Bieber and Gomez back in 2018. They ultimately ended their relationship for good in May 2018. By July 2018, Bieber became engaged to now-wife Hailey Baldwin.

Gomez conveys her feelings of betrayal and pain, but all in the name of self-love. Lyrics such as, “/We’d always go into it blindly/ I needed to lose you to find me/ This dancing was killing me softly/ I needed to hate you to love me, yeah” details her journey of self-preservation and growth.

Less than 24 hours after the release of “Lose You to Love Me,” Gomez surprised fans with the release of another single, “Look At Her Now.” Along with the release, Gomez posted a special thank you to her fans saying, “And here’s my special gift to all of my ride or dies! I created this especially for you. Y’all have been through it all with me and I thank you for pushing me to be the best.” “Look At Her Now” features a techno beat, fit for the upbeat dance music that accompanies the song. 

After the release of “Lose You to Love Me,” which she wrote over a year ago, Gomez wanted to let her fans know that she is doing better than she was at that point in her life. She felt as if releasing “Look At Her Now” best conveyed her current happiness.” She explained to Seacrest, “I wrote it as a story. I wanted that perspective because I also wanna show that there’s so much strength in being and claiming who you are, especially for me as a woman.” She also added, “[The fans] stood by me for years and years and they’ve walked with me through everything I’ve gone through. I just wanted to let them know I was good.” 

The fans have definitely responded with enormous amounts of love and support for their idol. “Lose You to Love Me” immediately rose to the No. 1 spot on Global Spotify with 2.15 million streams on its first day. The single also claimed the No. 1 trending spot on YouTube US, and has yet to leave the No. 1 spot on US iTunes. “Look At Her Now” earned the biggest debut on Global and US Spotify on Oct. 24 and rose to the No. 2 spot on US iTunes, second only to “Lose You to Love Me.” And finally, after over ten years on the charts, Gomez earned her first Billboard No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 on the chart week of Nov. 9. 

It’s safe to say the pop music community is anxiously awaiting Gomez’s new album. 

Feature Image: Courtesy of Yahoo.