Although Selena Gomez has remained a steady presence in pop music throughout the 2010s, this month marks four years since her last proper full-length, 2015’s Revival.
Fans will not have to wait for much longer for a follow-up: this week, Gomez returned with a new song, “Lose You to Love Me,” on Wednesday (Oct. 23) — and after giving listeners 24 hours to digest the gently sweeping ballad, surprised them with another new track, the more uptempo “Look at Me Now,” on Thursday.
The double release — one a traditional single that was teased on social media since last week, the other a surprise release that caught the pop world off-guard — precedes a new album from Gomez that will apparently expand upon the two songs’ shared meditation of self-growth.
“I think they make a logical pairing because of the topics,” Julia Michaels, who co-wrote both “Lose You to Love Me” and “Look at Her Now,” she told Billboard. “One is talking about needing to let go of something in order to find power, and the next one is owning that power. I think that’s the main reason why they work so well together.”
The new heartbreak song but at the same confident building song “Lose You to Love Me” is about letting go of someone you think you love, but in reality is hurting you, to better yourself and to love yourself.
While the lyrics of “Lose You to Love Me” have already caused widespread online speculation as to which specific relationship Gomez is singing about, the sparse, contemplative ballad also represents a provocative single selection from a Top 40 radio mainstay. Matt LaMotte, SVP of Pop/Rock Marketing at Interscope, confirms that “Lose You to Love Me” will be the focus track with radio and digital service providers; he also points out that Gomez’s Revival album (which was her first for Interscope) was also preceded by a single with a slower tempo, “Good For You” featuring A$AP Rocky, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“That was an unconventional first look for that campaign, which Selena felt really strongly about, too,” says LaMotte. “And I think there are parallels between that campaign, and the aesthetic that was led into by the singles of that record, and with this record,” she told Billboard.
“I think it’s really brave and beautiful to want to do a song this intimate and vulnerable for her first [single],” Michaels says. “I think she’s had a really long year, and a long year of self-reflection, and … I think she’s really found that strength in time, and now she wants to sing about it. She wants to let people know that she’s strong and that she’s come the f–k back.”
With Gomez finally back in the music industry and back stronger than ever, are you excited for Gomez’s long awaited return to music?
Take a listen to both of Gomez’s new songs below!