Selena Gomez on Career: “The Moment I Allow This to Be My Happiness, That’s When It Gets Dangerous”

It might be Taylor Swift’s squad, but Selena Gomez is Queen Bee. Yet even with the most followed Instagram account, she’s no Regina George. “My mom had me when she was 16, she worked four jobs, and went to community college. Like, there’s just no way I could treat somebody in a way that I feel bigger than them. That’s just never been who I am, and there’s just no way I could be that person,” the singer tells Yahoo Style. During a break on her Revival tour, which recently kicked off in California and will make stops around the world through December, the singer spoke about the importance of her fans, how her family keeps her grounded, fitness, and staying fresh.

Yahoo Style: How do you keep yourself looking fresh on tour?
Selena Gomez: When I’m not on the road, my routine is pretty consistent, but being on tour, it’s always a little different. The most important thing for me is to keep my skin and my hair looking its best.

I don’t wash my hair every single day, but instead I’ll leave it maybe one or two days. When I do wash it, I use products from Pantene’s intense line, like the 3 Minute Miracle deep conditioner. I also just try and keep my hair out of the way whenever I’m washing my face or I get offstage because, oddly enough, my hair is such a crucial part of my show. It’s kind of like a part of my concert.

For my face, I do try and keep everything as fresh as I can because I have so many different makeup looks. I like to keep everything clean, wash my face, moisturize, easy.

Also, I have to keep in mind that not only am I wearing a ton of makeup but I’m sweating in it because I’m dancing and running around. When I’m offstage, I try to let my skin breathe for a minute, and the same goes for my hair. Sometimes I’ll just braid it or not brush it and let it flow. I’ll braid it at night and then undo the braid in the morning and just leave it natural for the day.

Anything you always bring with you on the road?
I love being able to travel with things that make me feel like I’m at home. Thankfully, Pantene has stocked the entire tour — so like everyone on the tour is using nice hair products. But when it comes to my dressing room, I like fresh flowers, essential oils like lavender or eucalyptus or lemongrass. I try to keep things really calm and fresh because we’re in these buses and venues all day, so I like anything that will make my space feel comfortable and calming.

How do you stay healthy when you travel?
The last two tours were just me and my band, and I would do my own hair and makeup. Now, in a way it’s harder because I have to be more disciplined. I know there are people that are good at that, but I’m not one of them! I mean it takes everything in me to be like, “Oh, I just ran for 10 minutes, I’m fine.” But now I’m grateful that I have my trainer, Amy Rosoff Davis, with me for the tour.

How does she keep you motivated?
I do cardio, we have a pilates machine that I bring on the bus and this “sweat bed,” which is kind of like a big burrito that I sweat in for 45 minutes. She’s really good about switching it up throughout the week so that it’s not mundane.

What do you do before you go onstage?
I like to be in my room. I don’t really run around too much. I tend to listen to relaxing music or do a little yoga. Oh, and I always say a prayer before going out onstage. I always do that. And I try to drink a lot of water — ideally a whole bottle before going o stage. I like to go onstage with a clear head.

And after? Do you just crash?
You know, it’s funny. On the last tour — and I’m doing it again on this tour – I would meet fans from the concert after my show. During the show, my crew will pick 40 fans in the crowd that are all the way in the nosebleeds and are just losing their minds and going out of control, and they’ll come backstage and meet me after the show. I also always do an Instagram photo outside of my bus and take pictures with fans and just hang out with them a little bit. Oddly enough, it’s something that calms me down.

That said, there are days where I’m not feeling so great or I’ve hurt my knee onstage, which usually means I have to take it easy for a bit. But when I can, it’s always just fun to be able to meet my fans, walk around, and let my body cool down before I’m back on the bus.

What’s the best part of touring?
I love connecting with people. I mean, I think that’s something that I’ve always enjoyed doing. This album in particular, I worked on for almost two years. And not to discredit any of the music I’ve done in the past, it’s just the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve learned and appreciated my journey, and I’ve tried to utilize that in my music.

And it must be amazing to hear people screaming your name?
Yeah, I mean if anything, it’s just great to be able to walk on a stage and be around people that remind you why you do it. There are a lot of critical people in the world, and it’s gotten harder to impress people these days more than ever. When you go onstage, you’re there with people that you know are there for you.

Also, most of my fans have been with me from the beginning. I see people in the crowd who were 14 with me when I was on Disney, and now they’re 23 with me at a concert and having fun. I can recognize that and it feels really good and it reminds me why I do what I do.

How do you keep yourself grounded growing up in front of the cameras?
To me it’s not that hard. It’s my parents. I give them full credit for keeping me grounded. Obviously it’s so abnormal, if you look at it objectively. It’s not truly something that any kid should go through when you’re developing who you are and figuring out what you want to do.

That said, I wouldn’t take it back for the world ever. I mean, I love what I do, but the moment I allow this to be my happiness, that’s when it gets dangerous. Like when I want someone’s approval, that’s when it gets dangerous and I shouldn’t do it anymore.

Also, I know that if I disappoint my family or my mom sees me being disrespectful to somebody that works really hard, it’s over. My mom had me when she was 16, she worked four jobs and went to community college. Like, there’s just no way I could treat somebody in a way that I feel bigger than them. That’s just never been who I am and there’s just no way I could be that person.

I’ve had some really hard days and some bad days, but in the end, if I lost all of this, I would just go back to Texas and be with my family and that’s fine with me.

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