Same Old Trust. Revival singer Selena Gomez explained in a new interview that her best friend, Taylor Swift, has a special skill when it comes to her relationships with close pals.
“A bunch of women I look up to and admire are supporting one another,” Gomez, 23, told Flare in its November 2015 cover story. “And Taylor has such a beautiful way of bringing people together. That was good for me, because the more I started working, the more uncomfortable I was. I wouldn’t trust people, and Taylor has a way of stripping down everything and just getting down to being human. I love that.”
She further explained her general distrust for people, saying she finds safety in the confines of her house and movie sets. “I think that’s probably why I’m in love with what I do,” Gomez told Flare. “And when I’m with my friends, I’ll host dinners or parties at my home; it’s not like I’m a complete hermit. I just don’t give myself to anyone; I don’t trust as much as I would like to, but that’s okay. It’s something I work on.”
This isn’t the first time Gomez has mentioned having trust issues. In a June interview with Elvis Duran, Gomez explained that it comes from being constantly scrutinized.
“My life is so public that I do take that into consideration. But I’m also a normal person, I’m a human being and I’m feeling things. I get sad, I get anxious, I get emotional, I get happy! Especially in my twenties, my gosh!” the “Same Old Love” songstress explained at the time. “If you’re going to sit here and talk about my life, I have a right to say what I want and obviously I’m going to do it the way I wish to. But it is unfortunate, and you have to be guarded… I don’t trust anyone… It’s something that I have to live with and I have to find the balance of who I want in my life and who isn’t good for me.”
Lately, Gomez has been in a transitional phase both personally and in her career. “I had multiple revelations and big accomplishments in my life: a new label and a new team; I’ve been working out more and focusing on my music; and I got to do a couple of movies. I was really fighting for this transition,” the former Disney star told Flare. “I’m young: I’ve lived my life in the public eye, and I’ve had to figure out how to do that. Ultimately, I am 23 and figuring out my life. I feel confident, I feel empowered, I feel in control.”
Exercising that control included Gomez’s decision to executive-produce her new album. “I didn’t think I had found the heart of the album. So I asked if I could executive-produce it,” Gomez dished. “That was a big deal, because they were partnering with me as opposed to trying to mould me or shape me into something. Now that the record’s done, I look at it and I’m excited that it was all me. It was all my choice.”
With her involvement, Gomez was able to directly convey her emotions through her latest record. “I’m not the best singer—like, I know I’m not Céline Dion,” she noted to Flare. “Ever since I was 16, I’ve had this lower register, what I thought was a very manly voice, and I was insecure about that. But once I started acting more, I realized it was an asset, and I didn’t want to force myself to aim for the highest note possible. My strength is translating emotion, because I’m such a feeler. I’ve felt so much in the past two years, from being super in love and then dealing with things to getting older and all these beautiful experiences that were complicated and exciting. That’s what I wanted the record to feel like.”
Gomez also recently purchased her own home — and opted for roommates! “It’s awesome,” the star said of living with two other girls. “One of my roommates is a realtor and another one works for a social media company, so the girls are always on their laptops. There’s coffee, there’s conversation, there are fights, there’s staying up all night and talking. If I get time alone, I’ll blare music and dance around and have a Red Bull or something, like I’m clubbing in my own house.”
Read the full story on Flare.com, and pick up the issue on Oct. 12.
