Selena Gomez Biography

Selena Gomez was born in 1992 in New York City, to former stage actress Amanda Dawn “Mandy” Teefey. Amanda named her daughter Selena after the Latin singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, perhaps a foreshadowing of her future career. Selena, who spent her childhood in Texas, found her breakthrough moment as a member of the cast on Barney and Friends. The role led to additional ones on a number of Disney Channel shows, including Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and The Wizards of Waverly Place.

In 2009, Selena estasblished Selena Gomez & the Scene, releasing the debut album, Kiss & Tell, featuring the single “Falling Down.” A Year Without Rain followed in 2010, selling more than 60,000 copies and landing on the charts at number four. When the Sun Goes Down followed in 2011, to instant success. The album sold nearly 80,000 copies in its first week and by week two it had risen to number three on the charts. Eventually, the album was certified platinum, and two of the album’s singles, “Who Says,” and “Love you Like a Love Song,” also reached platinum status.

In 2013, Selena embarked on a career as a solo artist, releasing the debut album Stars Dance. The work was an enormous success, debuting at the top of the mainstream charts and spawning the top ten hit “Come & Get It.” A second album, Revival, was released in 2015; it fared equally well, rising to the number one spot on the mainstream charts and reaching into the top ten internationally. Notable hits include: “Good for You” (featuring ASAP Rocky); “Same Old Love,” “Hands to Myself,” “Kill Em with Kindness,” “It Ain’t Me,” and “Bad Liar.”

Selena Gomez continues to perform and record, despite a recent diagnosis of Lupus, which required for her to undergo an organ transplant. So far in her career, she’s earned an American Music Award, a Billboard Women in Music Award, and fifteen Teen Choice Awards. Gomez’s philanthropic endeavors are equally impressive. She has participated in St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital’s benefits, served as an ambassador for DoSomething.org, and participated in Disney’s Friends for Change, which encourages environmentally friendly choices.

Most recently, Selena Gomez served as executive producer for the Netflix series “Thirteen Reasons Why,” the controversial series which addresses the subject of teen suicide. Her latest single, “Fetish”—featuring Gucci Mane— arrived in the summer of 2017.