elena Gomez has had a multi-faceted career. At one point, she was everyone’s favorite Disney wizard (Alex Russo) who occasionally released nostalgic hits. Since then, she’s fully leaned into pop stardom with several albums; however, it seems she might want to slow down the song nowadays. On a recent episode of the SmartLess podcast, the singer-actor revealed she plans to potentially move on from singing. Talk about a 2024 bombshell.
In the Jan. 1 episode, Gomez talked about how she’s tried to find a middle ground in pursuing both her passions: singing and acting. “I started having a lot of fun with music and then touring was really fun,” Gomez told hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. “I was doing my TV show [Wizards of Waverly Place] at the same time and I just found it really fun so I just kept going. But the older I get, the more I’m kind of like, ‘I would like to find something to just settle on.’”
Shortly after, Gomez made it clear which career she’d like to prioritize in the future. “I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting,” she said, which caused all three hosts to reassure her that she didn’t have to limit her talents to one profession. In response, she added, “You’re right, but I am going to want to chill because I’m tired.”
Elsewhere, Gomez admitted she always “wanted to be an actress” and never “intended to be a singer full-time.” That revelation can be seen in the singer’s discography, as she’s eased up on releasing full-bodied projects in favor of one-off singles over the last five years.
This isn’t the first time Gomez has hinted at stepping away from music. In a March 2021 interview with Vogue, the “Calm Down” singer revealed she felt her creativity wasn’t being appreciated. “It’s hard to keep doing music when people don’t necessarily take you seriously,” she said at the time. “I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, ‘What’s the point? Why do I keep doing this?’ ‘Lose You to Love Me’ was the best song I’ve ever released, and for some people, it still wasn’t enough.”
Gomez then praised her fans that “enjoyed her music,” before admitting that she wants her next album to feel different than her previous ones. “I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music,” she said, adding she’d love to focus her attention back to acting. (And she did. Later that year, the singer became Mabel, a true crime enthusiast, on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.)
Even with the ongoing success of OMITB, Gomez’s retirement comment lingered on fans’ minds. It wasn’t until January 2022 that she clarified her feelings about her music career.
“The idea of retirement for me isn’t that I would leave forever. It is that I do see myself taking a significant break from music,” she told USA Today at the time. “I think I’ll always be creating and doing music. I just want to maybe take a step back, but I’m not doing that anytime soon.”
Since then, the Rare star has teased her new album will explore intimate topics that she’s kept to herself for years. And by the sounds of her latest hit, “Single Soon,” this upcoming record might be an infectious yet emotive send-off.