Selena Gomez finds direction on Sunset Boulevard

Finally.

I want to out myself as something quite shameful in 2025 - a Selena Gomez fan…adjacent.

On one hand, I don’t really care for her acting projects and don’t wear makeup, which are her two biggest endeavours of the past half-decade. Also, her status as a celebrity is significantly less interesting post-Bieber. But the music…is increasingly easy to ignore.

There was a time when Gomez’s breathy, often substandard vocals were all over pop radio. Both ‘Revival’ (2015) and ‘Rare’ (2020) were big enough hits, with plenty in between, that you could make an argument that her catalogue stands amongst the best of the 2010s. I’m not quite there in terms of fanaticism, but I did enjoy quite a few of those singles. I’d even go up for a handful of album cuts. Everyone should be streaming ‘Crowded Room’ (2020) and ‘Perfect’ (2015).

But post-pandemic, the Mexican-American star has really struggled to find her place amongst an increasingly vibrant pop scene. Outside of a breezy feature on Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ (2023), nothing has stuck. Her Latin-Pop EP proved underwhelming both critically and commercially, standalone singles were bad, and even her appearance on Coldplay’s last album was overshadowed by worse (but more interesting) features.

I think ‘Love On’ (2024) shows both where Gomez sees herself and who she is competing with. Her niche is radio pop, and Sabrina Carpenter is her most obvious competitor in that department. That single was the most blatant attempt to copy someone’s style in a very long time. Luckily for both artists, it was an absolute failure and I’m the only person mad enough to remember it for the pathetic move it was.

Unfortunately for Gomez, she’s really bad at that kind of bubbly pop. The song is full of clever and fun lyrics that she just cannot pull off. Say what you want about Carpenter, but her sense of humour shines bright. Gomez, particularly now, has the voice of the straight man by comparison.

In short…I’m sure she was thankful ‘Emilia Perez’ (2024) proved so oddly beloved. Interviews made it seem as if acting was her main priority. You can’t be a pop star forever. At least not if you don’t have the energy for it.

Thus, it was shocking when ‘I Said I Love You First’ (2025) was announced. The album, a collaborative record with her fiance and producer Benny Blanco, seemed to come out of nowhere. She was in actress mode. And the lead single ‘Scared Of Loving You’ was a twee nothing. A flimsy second release with Gracie Abrams proved that whatever made ‘That’s So True’ work was not easily replicable. Maybe because she and Gomez sound like they were recorded on different planets? It’s a mystery for science.

However, I like the recent single. ‘Sunset Boulevard’ takes Selena Gomez and puts her in her element. That element is sultry and a little fuzzy.

The throughline in what makes a solid Gomez record has always been directly related to how well it cradles her often monotone vocal performance. She has never had much of a singing voice, but as time has gone by, whatever energy made ‘Slow Down’ (2013) sound fun just isn’t in her anymore. In this latest single, she plays to her strengths.

Blanco is equally strong here. I actually quite liked his production on the previous two singles, but this is the first time he’s nailed it for Gomez. His work on ‘Single Soon’ remains some of the most insipid radio pop I’ve heard from an established pop star. I hate that instrumental with a passion.

Now, will this be a hit? I mostly doubt it.

It isn’t an age thing. Pop is probably the most friendly it has been to ‘mature’ artists since the 1990s. Gomez looks great, which will always matter to the world of mainstream music. I just don’t think radio needs her anymore. ‘Sunset Boulevard’ feels like a step in the right direction, and a collaborative record with her producer fiance is more than Hilary Duff got out of her producer husband - which feels like an eerie look into the future of Gomez and Blanco. But is a good song enough to break through as our current batch of pop stars prove they’re competitive and ambitious?

Last year was an absolute mess of records that produced a lot of great music that went overlooked. It’s the first time in almost a decade where it felt like the competition for your attention was being treated as of actual importance. Pop in particular has reflected that in increasingly interesting ways. Aggressive promotion may not look like GMA performances and mall tours, but it is absolutely still happening. Gomez is an industry veteran, but I’m not sure if she cared about this anymore.

I really do like a lot of Gomez’s musical output, and I hope this track is reflective of the upcoming album. It’s a step in the right direction for the couple, who I’m rooting for so long as I never have to look at them together. It’s a 7/10 release for me, which is better than the majority of what I listened to on Friday.

P.S. None of the BlackPink girls have released good solo records. Why are they so attached to Hip Hop?