Selena Marie Gomez (/səˈliːnə ˈɡoʊmɛz/ sə-LEE-nə GOH-mez; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her acting career on the children’s television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012). Alongside her television career, Gomez appeared in the films Another Cinderella Story (2008), Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009), Ramona and Beezus (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), and The Dead Don’t Die (2019), and voiced Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania film franchise (2012–2022).
Gomez released three albums with her former band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, all of which reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200 and were certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA): Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011). All of the singles from the band’s three albums have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. Her debut solo album, Stars Dance (2013), topped the U.S. Billboard 200, while its lead single, “Come & Get It”, reached the top ten in the US Billboard Hot 100. Gomez’s second studio album Revival (2015), debuted at number one in the US, was certified platinum by the RIAA, and spawned three US top-ten entries: “Good for You”, “Same Old Love”, “Hands to Myself”. Her third studio album, Rare (2020), became her third consecutive number one in the US, and its lead single, “Lose You to Love Me”, her first number-one song in the US and Canada. In 2021, she released the Spanish-language EP Revelación, for which she received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.
Gomez executive produced the Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020) and Living Undocumented (2019) through her production company, July Moon Productions. Additionally, she executive produces and stars in the HBO Max cooking series Selena + Chef (2020–2022), for which she received a nomination as producer for a Daytime Emmy Award, and the Hulu mystery-comedy series Only Murders in the Building (2021–present). The latter earned Gomez critical praise, and nominations for a Golden Globe Award, and two as a producer, at the Primetime Emmy Awards. She also starred in the Apple TV+ documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022).
She has received various accolades and was named Billboard‘s Woman of the Year in 2017, and she also broke 16 Guinness World Records. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. She has a large following on social media and is the most followed woman on Instagram and has over 400 million followers as of 2023. Gomez’s other ventures include makeup, clothing, handbag and fragrance lines. She has worked with many charitable organizations and served as a UNICEF ambassador since age 17; for many years she held the record as the youngest UNICEF ambassador.
