Selena Gomez celebrated her 31st birthday this weekend. There was a party for her at a private residence in Malibu that was covered by Vogue and included celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Karol G, Diplo, Saweetie, and Paris Hilton.
And there was also a private screening of Barbie with family and friends.
Selena looked like she had the best time. And on the professional side of her life, it’s been a very, very good time. Do we talk enough about how successful Selena Gomez is?
We focus a lot on Only Murders in the Building, what a hit that series has been. Season three will be released on August 8 with Meryl Streep joining the cast, fresh off its eleven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Selena, once again, was shut out of an individual nomination but she is a credited producer on the show, and we’re all aware by now, I hope, that the show simply wouldn’t be what it is without her. We’ve been watching Steve Martin and Martin Short together for decades. It was the addition of Selena to that dynamic that made the series special.
But then there’s also Rare Beauty. A few days ago it was reported that Rare Beauty sold $70 million in blush last year and is on track this year to triple sales. The blush is the star of the Rare collection, people are obsessed with it, but the entire line has been very well received by beauty insiders. And this is a crowded marketplace. But by all accounts, Rare is legit – good quality products that people come back to again and again and again.
So she’s winning on the tv side and winning on the entrepreneurial side and then there’s the music. I’m pretty you haven’t gone a single day this year without hearing Rema’s “Calm Down” featuring Selena. To be clear, Rema’s song was already a global hit after its initial release early in 2022. Then Selena hopped on the remix late last summer and, as Billboard notes, it’s been a slow burn. Over 40 weeks on the charts, steadily climbing in the top ten, becoming the highest-charting hit by an Afrobeats lead artist.
In an interview a few weeks ago, Rema said that Selena was thoughtful about her contribution:
“When she started working on it, she called me on FaceTime, and we talked a little about it. The mixing, the music video, making sure that she didn’t take from it.”
The quality of the song and its appeal is all Rema. That said, with the remix, what Selena brought to “Calm Down” is added exposure – it was played in places that may not have played it without seeing her name attached to it, introducing the song to a wider audience. And she sounds great on the track, fitting in seamlessly with the song’s energy. Once people heard it, they didn’t look back.
“Calm Down” is undeniable smash hit. And there aren’t many celebrities these days who can say that they’re at the top across so many business streams the way Selena Gomez has been doing it.
