Selena Gomez’s hard work this past summer has certainly not gone unnoticed.
Her cosmetics company, Rare Beauty, dropped three new eye makeup products in July. The third season of the Hulu original series Only Murders in the Building, starring Gomez, premiered early last August. And on Aug. 25, she released her first song in nearly a year, “Single Soon.”
Throughout the single, Gomez embraces her independence as a newly single woman and sings about all she can do now that she is not in a relationship.
Most of Gomez’s recent songs have been features or collaborations, with the most recent being the Afrobeat track “Calm Down” (Remix) with Nigerian singer Rema. Excluding these, Gomez’s last song was “My Mind & Me” for her 2022 documentary film, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.
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Women in the entertainment industry are often disproportionately shamed compared to their male counterparts for having relationships and a complicated dating history. The song emphasizes that Gomez, as a woman, can date freely and that a part of being young is exploring your sexuality. If someone isn’t the right match, Gomez says it’s simply “time to find another one.”
Gomez displays a range of emotions throughout the song. In the first verse, she battles how to break up with her partner. She throws in self-awareness by mentioning that she’s high maintenance, something she also did when featured in “Anxiety” by Julia Michaels. “My exes say that I’m hard to deal with, and I admit it,” she tells listeners.
In the “Single Soon” music video, Gomez writes a note for her soon-to-be ex, saying, “I’m sorry I can’t. Don’t hate me.” She leaves the note on top of an Xbox controller.
During the first chorus, Gomez picks out a dress, tries on shoes and puts on lipstick as she prepares to go out. While waiting for her friends at a restaurant, she’s content to sit alone and watch other couples in the restaurant.
Her friend’s arrival leads into a colorful montage of dancing, laughing and taking pictures together. Gomez shows that a romantic relationship is not necessary to have fun and be happy. Sometimes, friends are all it takes.
Gomez has had a very public love life, especially with her past relationships with fellow singers Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.
There was some speculation that “Single Soon” was about The Weeknd, but Selena shut down the rumors when she commented “Couldn’t be more false” on a Hollywood Life Instagram post.
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Gomez’s newest release has garnered a lot of attention. As of Aug. 31, the song ranks third under the Music tab on Youtube’s Trending page with more than 13 million views. It also has more than 17 million streams on Spotify.
Gomez’ new release comes after she opened up to fans about health issues. The singer has experienced a lupus diagnosis and kidney transplant, anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder and an episode of psychosis. In August, she commented on a fan’s Instagram post promoting her song, revealing that she also broke her hand.
“Broke my hand and had surgery. I don’t care about selling anything. I’m just happy to make music with my friends,” the comment read.
Despite her obstacles, Gomez has continued to release new music, create quality cosmetics and connect with her fans. It is not hard to see why she has remained in the limelight for years.
