Selena Gomez

Selena Marie Gomez (/səˈliːnə ˈɡoʊmɛz/ sə-LEE-nə GOH-mez; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress, and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence by 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 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) 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 as producer, a Primetime Emmy Award.

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). 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", is 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.

She has received various accolades and was named Billboard's Woman of the Year in 2017, and she also broke 15 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 musician and actress on Instagram. 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.

Selena Marie Gomez was born on July 22, 1992, in Grand Prairie, Texas,[2] to Ricardo Joel Gomez and Texas-born[3] former stage actress Mandy Teefey.[4] She was named after Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, who died in 1995.[5][6] Her father is of Mexican descent, while her mother, who was adopted, has Italian ancestry.[7][8][9] Gomez's paternal grandparents emigrated to Texas from Monterrey in the 1970s.[10] Of her heritage, Gomez has said she is "a proud third-generation American-Mexican"[11] and "My family does have quinceañeras, and we go to the communion church. We do everything that's Catholic, but we don't really have anything traditional except go to the park and have barbecues on Sundays after church."[12] Gomez was fluent in Spanish until age seven.[10] Her parents divorced when she was five years old, and she remained with her mother.[4][13] Gomez has two younger half-sisters and a younger stepbrother: Gracie Elliot Teefey, through Mandy and her second husband, Brian Teefey,[14][15] and Victoria "Tori" and Marcus Gomez, through Ricardo and his second wife, Sara.[16] She earned her high-school diploma through homeschooling in May 2010.