American singer and actress Selena Gomez embarked on a steady rise to fame from childhood.
Selena Gomez first became popular after her role as a child actor in several Disney television shows, and later in popular films. She first rose to fame after starring in Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place. After her acting career, she pursued a career in music, releasing several chart-topping songs and albums.
Learn more below about Selena’s journey in the entertainment industry below.
Acting
Gomez grew up in the quiet suburbs of Dallas, Texas. She is of Hispanic descent, describing herself as, “a proud third-generation American-Mexican.”
She reportedly had a troubled childhood, having seen her parents divorce at a young age and her mother struggle to provide for her.
After watching her mother prepare for stage productions as a child, Gomez became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
She started acting at a young age after auditioning for several roles, securing a place in the popular PBS show Barney & Friends from 2002-2004.
She credits much of her acting skills to Barney, saying in an interview, “I was very shy when I was little […] I didn’t know what ‘camera right’ was. I didn’t know what blocking was. I learned everything from Barney.”
Selena made appearances in several other shows after Barney, until she was offered the opportunity to act in the Emmy-award winning Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place, from 2007-2012.
She played the role of Alex Russo, a teenage girl living in a family of wizards.
Upon being offered the job, she moved to Los Angeles, California along with Demi Lovato’s family whom she had worked alongside since Barney.
After gaining significant recognition for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez starred as the main character in Another Cinderella Story, among other successful movies.
She was an executive producer on the television adaptation of novel 13 Reasons Why, which tackles mental health and sensitive issues among teenagers.
Gomez chose the project as she felt that she could personally relate to the struggles with mental health at a young age.
Musical Career
During her career with Disney, Gomez ventured into music.
She sang the theme song titled Everything Is Not What It Seems for Wizards of Waverly Place among other songs while working with Disney.
After receiving a record deal from Hollywood Records, Gomez formed her own band titled Selena Gomez & the Scene in an attempt to venture into music.
Although their first commercial album did not chart well, their second album called A Year Without Rain was successful, having debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200.
She also launched her own fashion line called Dream Out Loud in 2010, in which the clothes were all made from environmentally friendly, recyclable material.
In 2013, Selena Gomez released her first debut single Come and Get It from her upcoming solo album Stars Dance.
The album debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200, selling over 97,000 copies in its first week, but was met with mixed reviews.
In 2014, Gomez released her single The Heart Wants What It Wants which sold over a million copies in the US, also entering the US Billboard Top 200.
It was an emotional song for Gomez, released after she had spent time in Dawn at The Meadows treatment center which specializes in treating addiction and trauma.
Representatives stated that Gomez was not admitted to the center for any reasons related to addiction.
In 2015, Gomez released the song Good For You from her studio album Revival, and it went on to become her first song to enter the top 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts.
From then on, Gomez would build a very successful career as a music artist, which, combined with her acting, helped her achieve the celebrity status she has today.