Are you so ready to leave 2017 behind? You're not the only one. This year has been a real test of strength, and no one knows that more than Selena Gomez. Earlier this year, she revealed that she'd undergone a kidney transplant as a result of complications from lupus. Gomez also reportedly split up with The Weeknd, a.k.a. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, and appears to have reconciled with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Justin Bieber.
Still, she's got a huge reason to look forward to the coming year: Gomez confirmed that she's dropping a new record in 2018. Per Seventeen, she stopped by BBC's The Radio 1 Breakfast Show and chatted with host Nick Grimshaw about her upcoming album. "There is no 'might,' there is an album," she declared, while we all cheered like a game show studio audience.
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"I think it's fair to say that people know [about] the year I've had," said Gomez, "and I've poured my heart into my music and I wanted it to be fresh. It wasn't really about charts or numbers for me, it was about what I can creatively do for my music. So, yes, I can successfully say that my inspiration for this next record is in full motion, and it will be very soon."
Grimshaw asked if it felt like a therapeutic session, given Gomez' public struggles with her health. "Yeah, it is," she replied. But she also said that she "loves creating new areas of music to explore."
What does that mean, exactly? She's already given us three singles from the new album: "Wolves," "Fetish," and "Bad Liar," so we have a general idea of the silkier, more refined direction that her music is taking. We're wondering if The Weeknd has any help in producing her music, since she did remark that she'd been working on the album for the better part of this year, which is also while they were dating.
Could Bieber also make an appearance? It's no secret that Gomez and Bieber have been cozying up again, and we're wondering if their reconciliation means that a long-awaited collaboration or duet is coming.
We also think that Gomez will be working with photographer and creative director Petra Collins again. Collins art directed her AMAs performance that seemed inspired by The Picnic at Hanging Rock, and she also directed the video for "Fetish." We're hoping that their collaboration isn't done yet — the visuals that they craft together bring Gomez's music alive in a way that takes it to the next level. 2018, can you hurry up, so we can spin this album on our record player?