Singer and actress Selena Gomez released her fourth album — eighth if you include her time in Selena Gomez & The Scene — titled “I Said I Love You First” on Friday with fiancé Benny Blanco as the producer.
The album is definitely a self-reflection of everything she has gone through and how she has gotten to where she is now. Fans can hear references to her past relationships, her start on Disney Channel and her relationship with Blanco.
“Call Me When You Break Up,” featuring Gracie Abrams, “Scared Of Loving You” and “Sunset Blvd” were previously singles, and with these songs, fans were able to get a feel for what this album could be like. However, these three are more lighthearted than the rest of the album.
The 14-song album opens with “I Said I Love You First,” which works as a powerful start. This 44-second track is just Gomez giving a speech to the cameras, cast and crew after filming the finale for her Disney Channel show “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
She sounds emotional, which sets the mood for the rest of the album. The full clip was posted to Gomez’s Instagram the morning the album was released with the caption, “Was I just someone else?”
This moment was very important for Gomez and her career. Her co-star David Henrie commented on the post in support of her.
“I remember this moment like it was yesterday,” Henrie stated. “We had just wrapped shooting our final moments of the show and they wheeled us out our wands in a glass case as a parting gift. A moment we will all never forget.”
In Gomez’s first full-length album since “Rare” in 2020, she sings in Spanish for most of the fourth track, “Ojos Tristes.” This is a brave choice from the pop star since it comes after receiving backlash over her Spanish speaking in her 2024 Oscar-winning film “Emilia Pérez.”
The album also features a song with J. Balvin called “I Can’t Get Enough,” but Gomez is not the one who sings in Spanish.
The eighth track, “Bluest Flame,” gives Charli XCX’s “BRAT” vibes with its electronic beat — especially since the song features a repetition of the lines: “Hotter than the bluest flame / hotter than the bluest flame / Ah, I just wanna go all night / I just wanna go insane / Touchin’ in the summer rain.” It definitely bears a resemblance to “Everything is romantic” by Charli XCX.
Other songs I liked were “Younger And Hotter Than Me,” “Cowboy” and “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten.” The new songs on the album are definitely better than the three songs that were released prior.
Despite Blanco being included in the marketing for this album, he does not sing in any of the songs — unless you count his faint voice in “Do You Wanna Be Perfect.”
I understand that Blanco is a producer and has produced popular songs for Gomez in the past such as “Same Old Love,” but celebrities often have a history of including their significant others in their projects just for it to look awkward a few years later.
We saw what happened with Ariana Grande naming one of her songs “pete davidson” on her 2018 album “Sweetener” and Sabrina Carpenter including Barry Keoghan in her music video for “Please Please Please.” Of course lots of fans — including myself — are skeptical of Gomez and Blanco’s decision.
With Cashmere Cat and Finneas also producing a few songs, the beats flow amazingly. I am also a fan of this “heartbreak pop” genre and this album is definitely a new addition to my playlist.
The Disney Channel kid in me loves Selena Gomez & The Scene, and has not felt the same enjoyment from her albums since “Revival.” This album really has powerful songs one after another. I did not feel that with her previous solo album “Rare,” but now Gomez has proven herself again.
4/5 stars
jcaramag@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @selenagomez, Instagram
