Selena Gomez Hints She May Be Retiring From Music After Next Album to Focus on Acting

During an appearance on the January 7 episode of the Smartless podcast, per E! News, the multi-hyphenate hinted that she may be retiring from music following the release of her next album to solely focus on acting.

"I started having a lot of fun with music and then touring was really fun," Gomez, 31, shared on the podcast episode, which is available now for Wonder+ subscribers. "But 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.'"

"I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting," she added.

While Smartless hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes noted that Gomez doesn't have to pick one career, which also includes her successful cosmetics line Rare Beauty, the Only Murders in the Building star said she's "going to want to chill because I'm tired."

Gomez has released four solo albums: Stars Dance (2013), Revival (2015), Rare (2020), and Revelación (2021). She also recorded three albums with Selena Gomez and the Scene, which were released in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Meanwhile, Gomez has been acting since she was a child when she appeared on Barney & Friends. Years later, she became a household name thanks to Disney Channel, specifically her role breakout role on Wizards of Waverly Place, which aired from 2007 to 2012.

Following other roles in film and television, Gomez later went on to reach new heights in her acting career when she was cast in Hulu's Only Murders in the Building opposite Steve Martin and Martin Short. She has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in Comedy Series, as well as Emmy nominations for producing.

This isn't the first time Gomez has mentioned that she's considered retiring from music. Ahead of the release of 2021's Revelación, the Grammy-nominated artist shared in an interview with Vogue she wanted to give music "one last try," but said she wanted to focus more on acting and producing.

"It's hard to keep doing music when people don't necessarily take you seriously," she said. "I've had moments where I've been like, 'What's the point? Why do I keep doing this?'"

"'Lose You to Love Me' I felt was the best song I've ever released, and for some people it still wasn't enough," she continued, referencing her 2020 hit. "I think there are a lot of people who enjoy my music, and for that I'm so thankful, for that I keep going, but I think the next time I do an album it’ll be different. I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music.”

"I need to be careful," she admitted, before clarifying that she wants to spend more time producing and to "give [herself] a real shot at acting."