As Selena Gomez once said, "The Heart Wants It Wants," and hers apparently wants to get out of the music scene.
The singer, actress and entrepreneur opened up about the future of her career on an episode of the "Smartless" podcast released Monday to subscribers, saying she's not sure how much longer that first title on her resume will last.
"The older I get, the more I'm kind of like, 'I would like to find something to just settle on,'" Gomez told "Smartless" hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. "I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting."
The 31-year-old multi-hyphenate said she had always just wanted to be a "serious actress," but after Disney approached her to create an album, the then-Disney Channel "Wizards of Waverly Place" star accepted.
"I thought it would be fun, and I thought more than anything it would be a hobby that I really enjoyed," she told the podcast. "I wanted to be an actress. I never really intended on being a singer full-time, but apparently that hobby turned into something else."
Now a Grammy-winning musician, Gomez said she thinks it's time to "chill because I'm tired," rather than juggle the full plate of work. She also added that such a full plate isn't good for her mental health and led to her admission into a mental institute and the cancellation of one of her tours.
"It just got to me because I love working and it distracts me from bad things," she said.
Some musicians play through mental health issues from industry
Seventy-three percent of independent musicians have battled stress, anxiety and depression, according to a Record Union report.
Gomez made her entertainment industry debut when she was 10 years old, appearing on an episode of "Barney & Friends." After some smaller roles, her breakthrough came on Disney Channel, where she landed the lead role on "Wizards of Waverly Place." She soon got into voice acting and starred in "Another Cinderella Story," for which she recorded three songs for its soundtrack.
The actress then signed her first record deal in 2008 at 16 years old. Through the deal, she formed pop rock band Selena Gomez & the Scene, which released three albums before going on hiatus in 2012 — the same year "Wizards" ended.
Though acting along the way, Gomez returned to music in 2013 with her first solo album and has released two others since, which have included hits like "Same Old Love," "Bad Liar," "Come & Get It" and "Lose You to Love Me."
She continued on the big screen — from 2012's "Spring Breakers" to 2015's "Hotel Transylvania 2" — but Gomez's post-Disney return to scripted TV came in 2021, when she landed a main role in Hulu's critically acclaimed "Only Murders in the Building." The show wrapped its third season in October and has been renewed for a fourth.
As for now, Gomez is likely gearing up for the fourth series of the Hulu show while working on her fourth album — likely to feature her most recent single "Single Soon," which came out in August. She's also expected to head a Food Network series, a spinoff of her cooking show on Max, to come out in 2024.
Beyond entertainment, Gomez heads her makeup line Rare Beauty, which she launched in 2020 and called "the biggest gift" on the "Smartless" podcast.
The full episode of Selena Gomez on "Smartless" will be widely available on Jan. 8, but Wonder+ subscribers can hear the full interview now.
