This will be her first post-Disney album, out on October 9

Oct 2, 2015 01:19 GMT  ·  By

Selena Gomez is looking drop-dead gorgeous on the cover of the latest issue of Flare magazine, which comes with a lengthy interview in which she discusses her upcoming album, growing up in the spotlight and body image.

The album, called “Revival,” will be out on October 9 and is Selena’s first post-Disney release. She was signed to the Disney-owned Hollywood Records and this is her first album since she moved to Interscope. She says the change finally granted her the freedom to be herself.

A new Selena, not the same girl we knew from Disney

Selena has released 2 singles off “Revival” so far, “Good for You” and “Same Old Love,” offering fans a taste of what they’re to expect from the full material. She’s been dropping visual clues as well, as the accompanying videos are very sensual and intimate-looking, without the fault of being exploitative.

She explains the change by saying it was to be expected: she’s growing up and she’s evolving as an artist because of it, which also means embracing her sexuality, her flaws and her strengths.    

“Ultimately, I’m not 16 anymore. I’m a young woman, and I’m growing up and trying to do it in a way I feel comfortable with,” Selena says. “I’m not the best singer - like, I know I’m not Celine Dion. Ever since I was 16, I’ve had this lower register, what I thought was a very manly voice, and I was insecure about that. But once I started acting more, I realized it was an asset, and I didn’t want to force myself to aim for the highest note possible. My strength is translating emotion, because I’m such a feeler.”

Body image and empowering messages

In the same interview, Selena talks about her harsh experience on social media from earlier this year, when paparazzi photos of herself in a 2-piece swimsuit started a frenzy of comments about how “fat” she’d gotten.

She says she let all the hurt and pain from that pour into the making of the album, which she executive-produced. At the same time, it inspired her to want to reach out to her female fans, to let them know that there is no such thing as only one ideal of beauty.

Selena uses social media a lot as a way to stay in touch with the fans, but she’s also speaking out whichever chance she gets to warn them not to fall victims to the trickery in showbiz. Not even the photos she posts on Instagram are “real,” she says.

“Now that I do have this influence, I don’t want to just be a name,” she says. “I want people to really be inspired, to believe they can do whatever they want.”