Selena Gomez Wants A Boyfriend — But She Doesn’t Need One

Selena Gomez has a song called “I Want A Boyfriend” on her forthcoming album, but she’s loving being single, too. A contradiction? Maybe. Relatable? Yes.

In a recent cover story published in WSJ. Magazine, Gomez and her collaborators opened up about the creation of her new album, Rare, out on January 10. Gomez shared that it’s her most personal album yet — far different from her previous albums, where, she says, “There was a lot of putting my music together for me, and I didn’t have much control.”

For the new album, Gomez collaborated with singer-songwriters Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter. Michaels explained the collaborative songwriting process: “Justin and I will go to the studio before [Gomez arrives] and gather ideas,” she said. “I’ll text her to say, ‘What kind of mood are you in?’ One time she responded, ‘I’m feeling strong and happy,’ and then she said at the end of the text: ‘I really just want a boyfriend.’ I thought we should do a song about it. She got to the studio, and it all started flowing together.”

That song is called, appropriately, “I Want A Boyfriend,” but Tranter said that it’s not as simple as it sounds. “One of the lyrics is about a fine line between a want and a need,” he said. “Yes, she wants a boyfriend, but it’s not a need. She’s OK on her own, and we all should be too.”

For her part, Gomez said — with a “mischievous smile,” the interviewer Derek Blasberg notes — that she’s happy being single, which she’s been for over two years now. “I need time by myself,” she said. “I love going to my room at the end of the day. Just me and my dog. I got the full granny panties situation, stretched out in my bed.” A space of her own, a pet, and comfy undies: We’ve got to admit, that sounds pretty ideal.