Selena Gomez is setting the record straight about the true inspiration behind her new album, I Said I Love You First.
Speaking to Spotify’s Countdown To I Said I Love You First on March 19, the pop star shut down fan speculation that her songs were inspired by her past romance with Justin Bieber.
“Anytime I release anything, the interpretation is going to be up to the audience,” Gomez, 32, said, adding, “However, I would like to say that most of this album has nothing to do with what everyone may go to.”
Instead, she explained, her music reflects personal growth, friendships, and life experiences shared with Blanco.
Still, fans couldn't help but dissect the lyrics. In You Said You Were Sorry, Selena sings about an ex: “Don’t think about you / Happy without you / More now than I ever was.”
The chorus describes a dream where the person apologises for past mistakes, leaving fans convinced the song was aimed at Bieber.
Other tracks, like How Does It Feel to Be Forgotten and Don’t Wanna Cry, only fuelled the speculation.
“Selena Gomez dropping an entire album shading Justin Bieber is exactly what I’d do if I was a singer,” one fan wrote on X. Another added, “Selena writing about Justin with her fiancé is kinda crazy but the songs are great.”
Selena and Justin dated on and off for eight years before splitting in 2018. That same year, Bieber married Hailey Baldwin, and fan theories about lingering feelings have followed ever since.