First she shed her clothes for her recent starring role in “Spring Breakers,” and now she’s stepping up her performance game; is Selena Gomez in the middle of an iconic transformation?
The former Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” actress debuted her fresh new single “Come & Get It” on Ryan Seacrest’s website on Saturday, April 6 after leaking earlier than its original release date. Selena described the electronic pop song on her Facebook as something “fun, sassy and playful, but unexpected,” and explained to Ryan Seacrest that is has “kind of a tribal, Middle Eastern feel” to it and “exudes strength and confidence.” While I’ll admit that at first I was put off by “Come & Get It,” as I found it rather annoying, I quickly realized how unique and exciting the track is. It’s been in my head nonstop the past couple of days and I’m very unsure as to why it’s been struggling to make its way to number one on iTunes (it’s currently number eight). This song is certainly a new direction for Selena that no one saw coming, but what’s more unexpected is everything that comes with it: the performances and the confidence that this newly single 20-year old has been exuding lately.
Gomez, who recently broke up with longtime boyfriend Justin Bieber, is certainly trying to step up her game. “Come & Get It” is the first single off her upcoming album, which is yet to receive a release date, and Gomez has been promoting it with fierce determination. Over the years, I have watched Gomez evolve from an extremely talented actress to a catchy pop musician (“Who Says,” “Love You Like a Love Song,” “Hit The Lights”) who is a super hot dancer, as evident in her just-for-fun dance on YouTube to Taylor Swift’s “Trouble.” Seeing this dance of hers made me realize how much potential she has to become the next huge pop icon. The first stop for her was the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, April 14, and in an interview prior to her performance that night, she said it would be a game changer.
“[For the performance I] wanted to out-do everything else I’ve done as an artist,” Gomez said. “I just wanted a fresh take on what, you know, the new chapter is for me. So I’m excited.”
In the MTV interview, Gomez explained that the Movie Awards performance would be the first for which she would be singing in a head piece and simultaneously dancing and singing, so I was eager to see what she was going to bring. But what she said after that about her inspiration for the performance got me even more excited for it.
“I just loved [Britney Spears’ 2001 MTV Video Music Awards performance],” Gomez said. “I thought it was super-iconic, and she owned that stage. The routine was impeccable … It was kind of when she had her transitioning moment, and that definitely inspired me for this one, for sure.”
But why did this excite me so much? Because Spears’ 2001 VMA performance was what truly transitioned her from America’s sweetheart rocking a school girl outfit in “Baby One More Time” to a sex symbol and the biggest pop icons in the world. You know what performance I’m talking about: the one where she fearlessly danced around the stage with an albino Burmese python. I’ve always loved Selena and have been rooting for her to make this same transition. Knowing Gomez is such a Britney stan and would be channeling Spears’ VMA performance in her Movie Awards performance, I knew this was the perfect opportunity for her to do this.
And you know what? I’d say she did pretty good.
Rocking a flowy, red Indian-inspired dress, jingly gold accesories and a rhinestone bindi on her forehead, Gomez sang 100 percent live while executing Bollywood choreography throughout the entire performance. She has never been the strongest singer, but she definitely sounded good, especially taking into account that she was dancing as well. At this point I felt there was a good chance she had pulled off the Britney transition, but then again not much hype surrounded it afterwards. That is until I found this article, which reported that Hindu leaders are demanding an apology for Gomez wearing a bindi, which is a sacred religious symbol. All I have to say is yes. Yes, yes, yes. Now I’m not glad about the fact that Hindus are offended by Gomez’s decision to wear a bindi, but I’m glad about the controversy it’s caused. After Britney’s legendary performance, she faced backlash as well, being put in hot water with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) who felt that her use of exotic animals in her performance was inhumane. Controversy is good; it gets people talking, it gets people noticed. Will Gomez receive the same attention as Spears?
Just a few days after Sunday’s performance, Gomez appeared on both “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Dancing With The Stars” as a guest performer. While the “Ellen” performance was less of a spectacle than the Movie Awards performance, in the “Dancing” performance, Gomez seemed to feel much more comfortable and into the performance.
As a fan of Gomez, I’m happy to see her putting herself out there. I just know she is capable of becoming huge. She’s almost 21 (the same age Britney was during her big transition), boys think she’s hot, girls want to be her, she’s charming (check out this interview of her on “Ellen” for example) and she’s becoming an amazing performer.
What’s next for her? A world tour, of course. Gomez announced this to Seacrest the day after the Movie Awards performance on Monday, April 15, saying she “misses shows when it used to be just about the dancing and the performing” rather than a huge, extravagant stage. Gomez explained that she wanted to get back to that, and you know what that means: girl is about to rock the world.
Tickets for the Stars Dance Tour 2013 go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, on Gomez’s official website.
