With hit lead single “Good For You,” second single (and extra sassy music video) “Same Old Love” and recently announced tour dates, we are over the moon ecstatic that in less than 24 hours, Selena’s second solo album, Revival, will finally be released!
Revival isn’t just an album title or purely a marketing concept. It marks the many changes in her life from family, love life and health. In a recent interview with Billboard, Selena opened up about her abrupt cancellation of her last 2013 tour dates, stating the need to “spend some time on myself.” The tabloids speculated many awful things, but Selena reveals the real reason: “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stoke.” She continued to say “I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re assholes…But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It’s awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they’re saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”
As many know, such terrible hardships often make one come out stronger and more powerful. This perhaps points to the reason behind the album title name “Revival,” depicting a new born Selena, ready to come back stronger and take on new challenges. In fact, her co-manager, Aleen Keshishian, points out that this may be the case as she has had a very active role in her own liberation: “she’s having fun being CEO of her business for the first time…Her work ethic is something I’ve never seen. She executive-produced Revival. She co-wrote half the songs. Every visual, every marketing move, every decision is hers.”
To demonstrate her mindset now, Selena quotes Hillsong United: “I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground.” She is now in remission, and reveals the key to staying healthy is “diet, routine and medication,” in addition to surrounding yourself with the right friends. She opens up about her closest friend for over seven years, Taylor Swift, saying: “Taylor makes me feel empowered, like I can trust new people.” She went on to talk about her feature in the Bad Blood, “All of those girls are so dope. We ran around taking pictures, changing dresses, dancing — super-cliche girly stuff, but it rocked. The way she cares about women is so adamant. It’s pulling me out of my shell.” She reveals when Taylor goes over, “we cook, eat and sit by the fire,” says Gomez. “Wine is usually involved.”
We’re so impressed with Selena’s hands-on involvement with the new album and are equally excited to hear Revival tomorrow!
View more photos from the shoot and read the full interview here.