2010–present: Focus on film
Gomez on location in Paris, France filming
Monte Carlo in June 2010
Gomez's first theatrical film
Ramona & Beezus premiered on July 23, 2010 and met with generally positive reviews.
[40] In March 2010,
Varietyreported that Gomez was set to star as one of the three lead roles in
Monte Carlo, alongside
Leighton Meester and
Katie Cassidy.
[41] In the film Gomez plays Grace, a girl who’s “mistaken for a socialite while on a trip to Paris.”
[42] To prepare for the role Gomez learned how to play polo and also took two weeks of vocal training to learn two different British accents.
[43][44] The same year Gomez confirmed that the fourth season of her hit
Disney Channel show,
Wizards of Waverly Place, would be its last.
In January 2012, Gomez announced that she would put her music career on hold.
[52] This was later reaffirmed as Gomez wrote on her Facebook page that she was taking a break from music in order to focus on her acting career, "my band and I are going our separate ways for a while. This year is all about films and acting and I want my band to play music wherever with whoever. We will be back but, it will be a good while."
[53] In February 2012, it was announced that Gomez will replace
Miley Cyrus in the animated comedy
Hotel Transylvaniaplaying Mavis, the daughter of Dracula who will be voiced by
Adam Sandler.
[54]
Music career
2008-2009: Solo career
In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "
Cruella de Vil"—which included a music video—for the compilation album
DisneyMania 6. Gomez recorded three songs for the
Another Cinderella Story soundtrack, which Gomez appears in. Gomez also recorded "Fly to Your Heart" for the 2008 animated film
Tinker Bell. In July 2008, before Gomez' sixteenth birthday, she signed a recording deal with
Hollywood Records, a music label owned by
Disney.
[55] In 2009, Gomez recorded "One and the Same" for
Princess Protection Program as a duet with her co-star Lovato.
[56] Gomez recorded four songs, one of which was a cover, for the
Wizards of Waverly Place soundtrack, only one single (
Magic) from the album was released. In May, of the same year, Gomez was featured, with
Forever the Sickest Kids, on a duet version of the non-album song "
Whoa Oh!".
[57]
2009–2012:[58] Selena Gomez & the Scene
Gomez performing at 2011 Much Music Video Awards
Formed in 2009, Selena Gomez & the Scene is a
teen pop band which consists of Selena Gomez on vocals, Ethan Roberts on guitar, Joey Clement on bass, Greg Garman on drums and Dane Forrest on keyboards.
Kiss & Tell is the band's debut studio album and was released on September 29, 2009 by
Hollywood Records. On March 5, 2010, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.
[2] The album's single, "Naturally", was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 2010.
[2] The band's second album
A Year Without Rain was released on September 17, 2010. The record debuted on the
Billboard 200 at number 4, selling 66,000 copies. On January 19, 2011, the album was certified Gold by RIAA.
[2] The band's third album
When the Sun Goes Down, previously titled
Otherside, released on June 28, 2011.
[59] The album debuted at number 4 on the
Billboard 200, selling 78,000 copies its first week.
[60] The following week, the album rose to number 3 on the, becoming the band's highest charting album to date.
[61] The album's lead single, "
Who Says" was certified Platinum by RIAA on June 23, 2011 and has become the band's highest charting song on the
Billboard Hot 100 to date, peaking at number 21.
[2][62]
Other projects
Philanthropy
In October 2008, Gomez was named
UNICEF's spokesperson for the
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world.
[4] She said that she was "extremely excited" to "encourage other kids to make a difference in the world."
[4]
In August 2009, a 17-year-old Gomez became the youngest
UNICEF ambassador ever, passing fellow songstress
Hayley Westenra, who was 18 when she was chosen. In her first official field mission, Gomez traveled to Ghana on September 4, 2009 for a week to witness first-hand the stark conditions of vulnerable children that lack vital necessities including clean water, nourishment, education and healthcare.
[70][71] Gomez explained during an interview with
Associated Press that she wanted to use her star power to bring awareness to Ghana: “That’s why I feel very honored to have a voice that kids listen to and take into consideration [...] I had people on my tour asking me where IS Ghana, and they Googled it [...] and because I went there, they now know where Ghana is. So it’s pretty incredible.”
[71][72] Gomez said of her role as ambassador that: "Every day 25,000 children die from preventable causes. I stand with UNICEF in the belief that we can change that number from 25,000 to zero. I know we can achieve this because every moment, UNICEF is on the ground providing children with the lifesaving assistance needed to ensure zero becomes a reality."
[70]
Gomez was named spokesperson for
UNICEF's 2009 Trick-or-Treat campaign, for the second year in a row.
[73] Gomez, who raised over $700,000 for the charity in 2008, stated that she hopes to be able to raise 1 million dollars in 2009.
[71] Gomez participated in a celebrity auction
[74] and hosted a live web cast series on Facebook in support of the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.
[75] Gomez returned as the
UNICEF spokesperson for the 60th anniversary of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign in 2010.
[76] In celebration of the 60th anniversary, Gomez and her band, The Scene, held a benefit concert donating all proceeds to the campaign.
[77]
In February 2011, Gomez traveled to Chile to witness and meet with the families of
UNICEF's supported program, "Programa Puente" which helps families better understand and develops skills to deal effectively with early childhood education, development and other issues related to raising children. From her field trip experience, Gomez said "UNICEF is helping Chilean families get out of poverty, prevent violence within the home and promote education. To witness first hand these families' struggles, and also their hope and perseverance, was truly inspiring."
[78] In March 2011, Gomez participated in the
UNICEF Tap Project's "Celebrity Tap Pack," limited-edition, custom-made water bottles featuring tap water from the homes of each celebrity advocate, in order to raise funds and increase profile for the clean water and sanitation programs.
[79] She is also featured in videos promoting the campaign.
[80][81]
Gomez is involved in
Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its
public service announcements.
[82] Gomez,
Demi Lovato,
Miley Cyrus, and the
Jonas Brothers recorded "
Send It On", a charity single with all of its proceeds to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.
[83][84] It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 20.
[83] Also in 2009, Gomez made a surprise visit to a Los Angeles elementary school as part of the "A Day Made Better" program that was sponsored by OfficeMax. During her visit, Gomez gave the school an award and $1,000 worth of school supplies, and talked to students about the importance of giving back to the community.
[85][86]
Gomez is also the owner of six
rescue dogs and describes herself as a "huge animal-lover".
[87]
Entrepreneurship and sponsorships
Gomez was part of
Sears back-to-school fashion ad campaign.
[88] As part of the campaign Gomez was featured in the television commercials. In August 2009, Gomez also hosted the "Sears Arrive Air Band Casting Call" – to select five people for the first-ever "Sears Air Band", which performed at the
2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
[89]
In October 2008, Gomez launched her own production company, July Moon Productions, and partnered with XYZ Films to create star vehicles for Gomez. As part of the agreement Gomez will have the opportunity to be able option articles, hire writers and create talent packages to shop to studios.
[90][91] Also, as part of the deal, "XYZ Films will allow Gomez to star in and produce at least two films.
[85] Variety reported that: "In August, XYZ [Films] inked a similar deal with Time Inc. and management-production company the Collective to finance the development of the print media giant's content for the bigscreen [...] As part of the July Moon-XYZ deal, [Selena] Gomez will have the ability to cherry-pick projects from the vast Time Inc. library, which includes Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Life."
[91]
In October 2009, Gomez announced her plan to launch her own fashion line, called "Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez". The
clothing line launched in the fall of 2010.
[92][93] The collection consists of and features
bohemian dresses, floral tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, scarves and hats, all made from recycled or
eco-friendly materials.
[94][95] Gomez said that the line will reflect her own personal style and described the clothing as being "pretty, feminine, and bohemian," and: "With my line, I really want to give the customer options on how they can put their own looks together [...] I want the pieces that can be easy to dress up or down, and the fabrics being eco-friendly and organic is super important [...] Also, the tags will all have some of my inspirational quotes on them. I'm just looking to send a good message."
[92][95] Gomez, who has no background in fashion, teamed up with designers Tony Melillo and Sandra Campos, both who have worked with
big-name fashion houses.
[93] Gomez said of the partnering: "When I met Tony and Sandra, I was instantly comfortable with them and now they are just like family to me [...] They are so creative and I love how I can just call them up whenever and talk to them about everything, even if it's just about changing a button [...] They've been so cool about everything."
[92][93][94][95] The brand will be manufactured by, Melillo and Campos teamed with New York-based Adjmi Apparel and formed by Adjmi CH Brands LLC; which is the holding company for the brand.
[96]
It was announced on July 14, 2011, that Gomez had signed a license agreement with Adrenalina, an extreme sports and adventure-themed lifestyle brand, to develop, manufacture, and distribute the actress' fragrance. It is expected to debut in the spring of 2012. Chairman and C.E.O. of Adrenalina,
Ilia Lekach, said, "We are incredibly enthused to be working with Ms. Gomez and will reveal more details pertaining to the fragrance as we get closer to the launch date."
[97]
Justin Beieber's ring for Selena Gomez
