Selena Gomez Says She’s Proud of Heritage with Release of New Spanish Song
Selena Gomez is named after the iconic Selena Quintanilla and now she’s following in her footsteps with not only a new Spanish-language single but a potentially Spanish-language album
Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Vogue Australia 2016/Grace Otto
Selena Gomez is named after the iconic Selena Quintanilla and now she’s following in her footsteps with not only a new Spanish-language single but a potentially Spanish-language album. Gomez just released her “De Una Vez”, a song about overcoming heartbreak, with an accompanying video. At the end of the video the words “Baila Conmigo” come up hinting at more new Spanish-language music. Gomez has described herself as a “proud third-generation American-Mexican” and previously opened up about her aunt and grandparents crossing the border. This release comes almost a year after Rare which debuted at No.1. and also touched on overcoming heartbreak.
Gomez spoke to Zane Lowe on Apple Music about why she wanted to release music in Spanish. “This has been something I’ve wanted to do for 10 years, working on a Spanish project, because I’m so, so proud of my heritage, and just genuinely felt like I wanted this to happen,” she said. “And it happened, and I feel like it’s the perfect timing. Just with all the division in the world, there’s something about Latin music that globally just makes people feel things, you know?”
“There’s something about Latin music that, globally, just makes people feel things.”@selenagomez talks #DeUnaVez and connecting to her heritage through music with @zanelowe.
Hear the #NewMusicDaily interview Friday at 9AM PT on Apple Music 1: https://t.co/kNSzlQHhB9 pic.twitter.com/snn5rmySfa
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) January 15, 2021
“De Una Vez”, produced by Tainy, Albert Hype, Jota Rosa and NEON16, premiered alongside a music video directed by Los Pérez (Tania Verduzco and Adrián Pérez). The whimsical video with elements of magical realism has Gomez inside a house which she walks through with each room representing her evolution. Gomez, wearing a flowy floral gown, wears a corazón sagrado that’s cracked in the beginning then is repaired and shining brightly in the end. With the “Baila Conmigo” hint at the end it looks like not only will there be more Spanish music in the future but that it’ll be more optimistic, lively than this first single. Both Rare and “De Una Vez” focus on the pain of love so it’ll be nice for fans to Gomez not only embracing singing in Spanish but having fun with it. In her Instagram post for the video, she wrote “This is the beginning of something I’ve wanted to explore for so long.”
“You know what’s funny, is I actually think I sing better in Spanish,” she told Lowe. “That was something I discovered. It was a lot of work, and look, you cannot mispronounce anything. It is something that needed to be precise, and needed to be respected by the audience I’m going to release this for. Of course I want everyone to enjoy the music, but I am targeting my fan base. I’m targeting my heritage, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
This isn’t the singer’s first time singing in Spanish though. In 2010 she released “Un Año Sin Lluvia” and she was featured on DJ Snake’s 2018 hit single “Taki Taki,” with Cardi B and Ozuna.
In a statement, Gomez called ‘De Una Vez” “a beautiful love anthem,” adding, “I am incredibly proud of my Latin background. It felt empowering to sing in Spanish again.”
