Selena’s “Rare” Reveal

On the list of much-awaited albums is Selena Gomez’s, Rare, which dropped today, making it the perfect way to end the week. Gomez, the former Disney Channel teen actress turned pop superstar has taken quite a long break from the music scene and that’s precisely what makes this comeback so monumental.

Gomez’s last full length album was released back in 2015, titled, ‘Revival’. Her growth as a musician was clearly visible in this album. Three of her tracks soared through the charts worldover, yet it always seemed as though something was missing. Perhaps it was a more personal touch, an exploration of her emotional and mental state? The absence of this made these tracks enjoyable yet lacking the impact they could have had on listeners. And that’s what makes ‘Rare’ stand out from the singer’s previous albums.

This album is a lot more reflective, as it clearly revolves around her struggles in moving on from her difficult break-up with Justin Bieber.

Her relationship drama coincided with some intense health struggles. Not only was she coping with her battle with lupus, she also received a kidney transplant from her friend back in 2017, and further complications due to the disease led her to check herself into a mental health treatment facility for a few weeks in late 2018.

This difficult period is explored in her track, “Lose You To Love Me,” which managed to become ms. Gomez’s first #1 hit when it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. “I needed to hate you to love me,” Gomez sings, making this quite a cathartic ballad, one that highlights the idea of self-care and moving on.

The string of tracks on this album ranges in various levels of intensity, as it constantly alludes to her difficult past. Her non-stop digs at Bieber are evident in a lot of her lyrics:

People can’t go from people you know to people you don’t

I think you’re kinda crazy…and not the good kind, baby.

I gotta get you out my head now…I just cut you off.

And yet, some of her songs are a bit lighter, mostly exploring the freedom and relief of life on the other side of the trauma, like her funky dance track, ‘Look At Her Now’. And honestly, take a look at her now. She’s grown a lot as a musician and as a person. Not only will these set of tracks linger with us for a while, but her too, as after all, they are a form of healing.