Countdown To I Said I Love You First: Selena Gomez & benny blanco In Conversation | Spotify

I have had the most

fun experience working on an

album more so than anything

else the best part about it was just

make something that I love with the

person I

love okay so we're going to have a

little

chat at I guess it's your home right now

Welcome to our home our home fair enough

so I love just getting to sit here and

actually talk about music with you our

new album is called I said I love you

first this album didn't even feel like

making an album because we filmed filmed

we

recorded

99.9% of it here yeah I forget what day

exactly it was when you came up to me

and said that you had the idea or and

Andia her I love you first I remember

you playing me a demo we were driving

and you were playing me a demo and you

got so you were so sad and I was like

and I I was wondering why you're so sad

and you actually like a tear came from

your eye really why do I have no rec and

you were I remember you saying you were

like I don't know if I can do music

anymore and and you were like I feel

like I've said everything and done

everything thing I want to do and you

know you're so fortunate that you've

that you have been in it for so long and

released so many different types of

things and yeah now I remember that yeah

and then I remember having a meeting

with my managers and my label like maybe

like half a week after that and I had

all these songs that were awesome that I

was putting out as singles for myself

but they I felt like they didn't really

represent where I was and I was like

well these songs

they're not like about my life like

they're like about so many different

things now because my life has changed

so much I remember having this like aha

moment where I was listening

to Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z and Beyonce

and I was like wait I was like it' be so

cool if we did an

album together and I remember when I

came and asked you I was like so nervous

cuz I I that's so funny but I remember

exactly where I was I was on the phone

with you and I was in that room I was

like sh why don't we just do something

together and then you were like really

you're like I know but I also was was

nervous too equally yeah cuz I mean

that's a big um not only do I respect

you as a person but I respect you as an

artist and it's a big deal and something

to take on that it's on a different

level than I do and it was it was kind

of like duh afterwards but I was just a

little nervous I guess I mean is that

normal yeah no I was I I definitely was

nervous because I I I didn't want it to

affect our relationship and I remember

saying it to you first off I was like

but I think we're at the point where

like if it did we would say something

well that's what we said and I

remember when we first got in and we

started doing obviously I've worked with

you so many other times it just flowed

so quickly easily I remember just being

able to sit with you and like you'd wake

up from like a dream and then we'd talk

and we'd write it all down it would be

like a journal session and it just the

everything started flowing so well and I

felt like a it was the best music we

could have made together and

B it made me feel even closer to you not

only because we could be in the same

room and play all day yeah but we get to

do what we love with who we love yeah

and I felt like I could I could just you

know I could ask you anything cuz it's

in the context of a song you're like

well how did you feel in this situation

in your life how did you feel and and

also it made me realize how good our

communication skills

are like well yeah I don't feel like it

was hard in any way cuz I understood

your kind of point of view of things and

I think you're just really helpful

you're not a very

you're not extremely critical you're

able to pull out what makes my voice

unique and I I don't know I guess I just

I did trust that process obviously yeah

I think our communication is great I

love you um I don't know I wanted to

make sure we were good and yeah it it

just seemed very effortless I don't

think people know how long it like if we

did it in such a short this is probably

the quickest album I've ever done it's

definitely the quickest album you you've

is it this for you yes are you kidding

me yeah it it seemed like towards the

end it was starting to get crazy that we

had all this material and most albums

take like 8 years like it takes me so

long to do an album also I felt like we

had the same sensibilities like usually

when you're doing an album with someone

you're like butting head so many

different times I felt like very rarely

would we butt heads and then like if we

did on something you would have have

like a perfect response and I was like

all right I guess we're not doing

that song like it just it just like made

sense and it was easy and it felt it

felt good I think it was because um

there wasn't really any ego between us

yeah it was definitely a leave helpful

leave your ego at the

door so do you know how to get us there

no but I

will oh yeah

so how we

became a a couple in my eyes if I may

share okay it was when we were doing a

song called single soon when you came

into the studio I don't know you just

you started talking and we were breaking

the ice but it wasn't just the reason

why I felt comfortable is cuz it was

wasn't just a conversation between me

and you privately it was like a group of

people and I felt comfortable around

those people yeah and you texted me that

you had a good time

and I texted you back when I went in

there I wasn't even thinking about like

dating you I was literally neither was I

no no but I was literally trying to hook

you up with my friends I remember I was

like oh you should so come over for

dinner I have like a lot of really good

single friends and I was explaining to

you like dates I was going out on and

stuff yeah no I was actually doing the

same thing but I just I don't know I

likeed to and I remember we started

talking after and I was like I was just

I just thought it was like a casual

thing and you were like sending me

selfies and I was talking to you but but

wait wait in context I wasn't just like

dropping the Selfies In fairness the

reason I actually looked back on the

first selfie I sent you and it was a

joke because we were talking about how I

was like oh I look shitty in the photo

so I sent you all the worst pictures of

myself I liked it but what girl what

girl would send the ugliest photos of

themselves to someone they like but I

liked you my so I don't you were so fun

and you're like no that one doesn't

count and then you would say then you

would laugh at some and then You' be

like what were you doing but then there

was one that you'd be like actually

that's hot did you look did you look

back at all

I did I have and I did and they were

only horrible pictures so in my defense

I wasn't being like hey here's the

cutest picture of

myself uh Cowboy is my version of good

for you but no I don't like to share it

a lot but I'm a very Central person and

I love love and sometimes I put that

into words and it can feel sexy and I

love that

feeling it's a sexy

song um no it's it's it's great it's I

feel like it's back to a sound that you

kind of created you kind of created this

whole like whisper pop Melancholy type

of thing which I totally respect people

like or or dislike and I totally get

that and I feel like like it's a cool

nod back to like where you came from

yeah I feel like writing a song is like

also being like in therapy so you can

say things I I feel like it's it's like

almost like a safe place you can say

things that you would like never tell a

person let alone like your partner and

we got it was really cool to yeah that's

true yeah you could kind of almost say

anything it's like it's it you know it's

like saying your deepest darkest secret

but it almost like doesn't count cuz

it's in a song it's it it was it was

really

interesting getting to

learn things about you that I'm not sure

I'd be able to get out if we were in

like a different Arena yeah that was

such a that was so crazy that while we

were doing this album we just told each

other cuz mind you the whole album isn't

just about

my life you know it's about your

experiences our experiences together mhm

okay so when we decided to name the

album it was actually again your idea

you had a few ideas that you had texted

me but that one was what stood out for

me because it's sweet well and cuz it's

true I know yeah yeah she said I love

you first I did how did you name all

your other albums it actually depended

on the song that I felt most connected

to but what's crazy is that I never my

mind changes so often so it's really an

in the moment kind of feeling rare I

have so much to say about that it was it

was the perfect depiction I think of

where I was in my life because I've

always been

vulnerable always been honest whatever

how people take that as a good thing or

a bad thing rare to me was was actually

everything I would say I like I don't

have it all but I do know that I'm worth

it and I know that I deserve to feel

that feeling yeah and now it became like

your it's just like everything yeah and

it's it is such a good it's one of those

things where you're like why didn't

someone say this sooner like it's like I

hear that in a song all like and I'd be

like oh or like as an idea you know I

will say

though there's not a song quite like who

says I'm sorry I'm throwing it back but

rare was a a second version of that to

me

um and that song means so much to me I

was

16 and to this day if anyone sings it to

me it brings me to tears because I

needed that just as much as they did so

to be able to sing that with a group of

however thousands of people and saying

those words out loud chanting that no

one can tell or Define who you are was

the coolest feeling and that's what I

got with rare now what were you feeling

when you did a song like who says like

did were you even thinking were you even

thinking like oh my God I'm going to be

like a big singer like do no I don't

think that's what I thought I think that

I understood the gravity of the song

Because I remember um at the time the

writer was deciding between a few

artists I didn't write that song but I

was I was 16 I heard the song and I knew

the importance of it because of how I

felt so when I heard the song I remember

I kind of asked the writer I said this

song this song would mean so much to my

fans that's like the first thing I

thought of and they went with you know

we I just tried it and they went with me

and I was really grateful because I had

no idea that it would mean that much to

other people as much as it did for me

but I was glad that it that it happened

but wait I feel too weird what about you

how do you name your albums I actually

have never asked you that well for my

own album obviously I've helped name a

lot of albums you know

for other people but for myself honestly

I I came up with friends keep secret is

also the name of my label like uh I I

was trying to think of it I was like

well what's like a pop punk band and I

was like I thought like if I came up

with a really good pop punk band I

remember I was going to name my label in

all my albums everybody gets a trophy

like like when you're in like soccer but

but I I was just trying to think of

stuffff and it doesn't even really go

with my motto because I'm not like a

Secrets type of guy but you're really

not but I think it's you're honest all

the time yeah I think it's like a if you

know you know type of thing I also like

things where it's like I like naming

songs where it's like not the song title

isn't even in the song or like the album

title isn't even a song on the album

yeah yeah like friends keeps is not a

song on any of my albums or it's like

not in any lyrics and I always like I

don't know I'm always weird like that I

also like don't love videos when like

music videos when they're lipsyncing

like I'm I I like it read I like it

better when it's not lip like if you

look like 90% of my music videos have no

lip sync in them I guess you're right

you know one of our first songs we we

did a little video for it at Disneyland

cuz we love Disneyland so much it's

actually one of Selena's like favorite

places on Earth it makes me incredibly

happy I'm a huge roller coaster fan not

a big teacups fan you know you you put

me on the roller coaster flip me dip me

do whatever you want to me but you put

me on the teacups and I'm I'm a shell of

a human being it was really fun to

torture you in that way for a second

yeah she loves to torture me I to not

and she won't leave Disneyland without

one of two things it either has to

actually three

to either be a pickle a corn dog a huge

leg of turkey or all three combined yeah

I mean I'm trying to do the three at the

same

time What was our first party we ever

went to I don't know if this was the

first but it was actually really funny

as a couple we went to Taylor's party

after sub award show I don't know it was

kind of cute but I was mortified

apparently cool people don't show up to

parties on time we're the first people

at every single party when I go with you

you're you like show up when like my

mother shows up to a party no I thought

you were going to talk about the fact

that nobody knew we were dating and we

were hiding the fact that we were dating

so we would so we like didn't even like

touch each other or like really look at

each other cuz you're like like if like

a girl came up if like a girl came up to

me or something you were like

H okay definitely our best date ever

well I there's a lot of things competing

but what I think our best date ever is

like when we were first dating and we

were still keeping it like super secret

I remember I was like let's go to the

Santa Monica pier and you were like we

can't go to the Santa Monica pier and I

was like what if we dress up in

disguises which usually never works no

but we did like full cuz we were so

scared of people finding out about us I

remember feeling like having so much fun

being with you cuz we could just fully

let go and not worry about anything else

and we like rode the ferris wheel we got

like so cute corn dogs and cotton candy

and it was so it was I'm not going to

lie sometimes the disguise thing is so

stupid but in this case it it actually

worked which was crazy but I really

didn't care I was like so so happy I was

in a state of ecstasy it was amazing it

was so

fun when I first thought we were on a

date mhm I'm not even kidding it was

like you were sitting right there and I

thought it was a date so I had dressed

up and you were here and we kept our

whatever it was relationship or getting

to know each other secret for not secret

we just kept it in privacy mhm and this

is kind of where we first started

connecting this is where we had our

first kiss that's where we made the

album I think it's special because we

have a little Studio set up it's like so

humble nothing for real and we go in

there and then you know we get to go

back into our Cocoon of our bedroom

think about what we did like it's like

oh we're in here making a thing and then

it's like oh I guess I'll go cook some

food oh I guess you're in bed oh I guess

you're back like it was one of those

things where I guess I I've never I can

say I've never made an album that way

yeah and it was the it it was

interesting because you know sometimes

we record vocals late she would record

vocals then like go to sleep then I'd be

working on them then I'd come wake her

up she'd come back into the room and

record him again and it was there was

some sort of there was like a comfort to

doing it this way yeah and I feel like

we

weren't while like at the same time we

weren't down each other's throat about

anything it was like we were talking

about everything so if I had an issue in

the studio or I don't know I needed your

advice or your direction on something it

was so nice to be able to just text you

and you'd be there but I felt really

comfortable probably too comfortable

making this album yeah at a house I just

feel like your guard is down when you're

in a house it's different you're not

like in a and they're like hey let me

take your order like you're in a house

your guard's down we had our friends

come over to make the album we weren't

thinking like oh my God like this album

is I didn't even know anyone was going

to hear this at first I just thought it

was a good idea and exercise to try to

do and you don't typically like people

in the room while you're doing your St

no so I I will be honest the first time

I don't like Ben in the room until like

I started getting more comfortable

towards the end but that's only because

it's so weird it's such a weird thing to

be it's almost really vulnerable I don't

know it's the most vulnerable

yeah then it then it was nothing then it

was great but yes we'd get up in the

morning we'd have conversation but our

conversation was never LED going what

are we going to write in the album it

was very like this is on my mind like

what is that how does that make you feel

kind of thing yeah I felt like your

personal Journal I was just constantly

like well you are yeah I was constantly

just writing whatever you said wherever

we were sometimes you'd be saying

something like really important and I

would like I I didn't know if you even

realized but I would like always open my

phone I'd be like that's such a

good line for a song I I did notice but

I also was very like you know me I can

just like sit there and talk so it

didn't bother me if that's what you're

asking you know I want to talk about Blu

flame it's one of those songs where like

you immediately feel

like you're in a basement the walls are

sweating it's 4:30 in the morning

somehow you're kind of sad but you're

happy it's euphoric we got to work with

Charlie on this song and she has such a

amazing way of putting you just like in

an immediate Zone and it's cool cuz we

you know one of our first songs like

probably like 11 years ago or 10 years

ago was same old love and we did that

with Charlie too and yeah to me this

whole song is Charlie I just feel like

Charlie has this way of having a

hypnotic kind of like really like crazy

cool feeling

and that's what I feel like this song

was it's like a fever dream yeah it's

it's you know we wanted to have the

first half of it be like this sweet

euphoric like almost Melancholy tone and

then all of a sudden it switches and

you're like oh where's my drink I'm in

the

club mind you I don't remember the last

time I stayed up till 4:30 that's true

that's what I wake up that's when she

wakes up more so than anything else in

the world this isn't like an album where

I had any expectation because it's

something we got to do together that was

for us and as a byproduct of who we both

are other people get to listen to this

album and that's like really cool and I

hope it inspires people to feel a

certain way about themselves or their

partners and but like all in all the

best part about it was just being able

to spend time and make something that I

love with the person I love yeah it's

very sweet baby

the Sunset Boulevard was interesting cuz

it's like one of my favorite songs on

the album you know you take a song like

scared of loving you that's like you're

giving yourself to someone you're

petrified because now you're

finally in the place where

you're going to be with them and you're

like I don't want to I don't want

to fully lose myself in this because I'm

scared I'm going to get hurt again I'm

scared I'm going to and I'm scared like

this person's going to leave me at some

point and all your insecurities pop out

and then with Sunset Boulevard it's like

Fu I'm Letting Go I'm freef falling it's

like that moment when you start to freef

fall into love and you're just like it's

the best feeling in the world you feel

like you're about to get like kind of

hit by a car so you get that like

feeling in your chest and you're and

it's just like Bliss and like nothing

can take you out nothing can stop you

our first date was on Sunset Boulevard

at a place called jit Lada if you

haven't been you should go it's

delicious yeah I think that was it's one

of my favorites because of that yeah and

it's just like kind of feels like you're

just like spinning around and it it's

really one of those songs where it's

just like you're in like the best phase

of puppy

love you know what's insane to me what

is that do you love me I do love you no

we're both such terrible drivers and our

first

date was actually then I have a question

for you speaking of our first date that

wasn't a day yeah why would you decide

to take me in this car no I just love

this car and I don't get to drive it

enough and I was like oh wow we can just

see I totally misinterpreted that I

thought you were like look how cool this

is it is cool it is cool didn't you

think it was cool you literally texted

me right after what I didn't know was

our first date and you said because it

was hilarious you said I've had the best

time I've had in years I can't even

remember having a time this good you're

were like blowing up my

spot were you excited the first date

yeah you were what was going through

your head oh my God I can't believe I

get to sit next to this hunk even the

first one though yeah that's crazy I

thought you were so fun I knew right

after we kissed I was was like oh wow

I'm probably going to marry this person

that you're so sweet well I didn't say

marryed but I was like I'm probably

going to have a baby with this person

that's so

cute well I guess we'll release this

album let the world here our

little baby and I I don't know I I want

to spend the rest of my life with you

babe you

do yeah I do I just almost crashed the

car

um why you still don't believe it hey

I'm excited I want to spend the rest of

my life with

you okay wait let's switch things up

younger and hotter than me younger and

hotter is a song kind of beginning of

the whole process is I fell in love with

a line all of the girls at these part at

these parties are younger and harder

than me and I hate what I wore

that to me was a just a genius line I'm

giving Finn and you credit for that and

from there I loved how it expanded

into there's always something shinier

there's always something newer there's

always going to be someone younger

it's it's just more of a like there's a

transition that happens in your life I

think the video explains a lot of what

I'm talking about I can be stuck in a

season of my life and feel so we weird

that it's

changing but at the same time it's like

I've lost myself in so many different

things and like it just goes back to

feeling vulnerable I don't feel that way

necessarily you know I'm going to talk

about you for a second cuz you know you

take a song like younger and hotter than

me and you've had such a unique life

that not a one in a billion people have

and it's you know you started your

career at 7 years old

okay and you know at the beginning when

you're on TV and you're

this a kid star that everyone wants a

piece of you're this shiny new toy and

then you know a few years later a new

person comes along and they're like oh

this is our toy and then a new person oh

this is and then you finish your series

you finish shows and you're kind of left

in this spot where you're like okay well

now I'm a about to be an adult so where

do I go from here yeah where do I fit in

yeah where do you fit in and you know

you're so confident but you know

sometimes yeah and but at the end of the

day you're a human so and I think that's

what makes you so relatable and this

song is just embodies that and how hard

it is to be not only in your position

but a woman in general and and nitpicked

by so many different people I think it's

just like a display of like who you are

where you've been where you're going and

everything allinone to show that you you

aren't this perfect person but that's

what makes you perfect in a way at least

to me well I appreciate that I think

anytime I release anything the

interpretation is going to be up to the

audience however I would like to say

most of this album has nothing to do

with what everyone may go to and I think

it's important for me to say that

because I've evolved so much and I have

experienced life with new people I've

had to go through transitions with

friends and lose people in my life and

gain new people and I've had a whole new

life

for ever

so it's up for whatever people want but

to me it was

about both of our past and our history

and also just inspired by friends and

relationships like some songs were

actually meant about friendships in my

life and I think that's what to me the

album was about and I just wanted to get

that out there cuz that was very

important to me I think the best part

about music is a song that you may have

written in a moment about something is

completely perceived as something else

to everybody who's listening to it I

mean I still get the feeling when I'm

listening to songs and I like look out

the window and I act like I'm in the

music video and it's just and you listen

to it at a certain time in your life so

it holds different meaning and I think

that's the best part about music is how

it can move people in such different

directions with this album you know it's

about past future present and it's it's

uh it's cool to see the evolution

throughout the album because it's like

the album opens up and it was actually

the last speech Selena ever gave on the

set of Wizards of Waverly Place and

she's talking about how she hopes she

makes everyone proud and it's very

emotional and then it goes right into

younger and hotter than me which kind of

like undresses that whole situation and

and shows you what's you know really

happening and then it moves all the way

around to you know to songs like scared

of loving you but also songs like you

know don't want to cry and like where

you're like in a in a moment in time and

you feel like sometimes you feel Frozen

you feel stuck and sometimes I've and

then in other moments you in in the

album you're like you get that release

of like bluish flame where you're just

like oh now like I can party in my life

and I can and you know it's kind of like

there's a little Mania going throughout

it cuz it's going through all the

different little yeah all the different

shades of a human and the range of

motion and you know it all meets

together at the end where it's just like

love is the thing that's going to be the

glue and bring us back together yeah I

was 17 when I ended about 18 and I ended

Wizards a Waverly Place and that was the

most emotional one of the most emotional

days of my life cuz that's where I

started that's my those are my people

and I love them and but I wasn't end up

a very interesting chapter in my life

for sure and that's weird to let that go

and I feel like this started as like the

beginning of a new chapter in our lives

the biggest challenge so far on my end

has been what's

happened while the album is ending it

has been so stressful for me personally

it's one of those feelings where I feel

like I'm holding on and then I'm holding

on really tight and it's about to be

released and I'm like wait I don't know

if I'm ready for it to be out and yeah I

I feel that it's like you know you make

a whole thing and it's it's a very

unique situation being an artist or

producer you have this whole thing that

nobody knows about or even hears and

then all of a sudden the whole world

gets to hear it at the same time and

it's like you're letting all your little

babies go into the world and I think the

biggest challenge for me was the

temperature you like to keep the studio

it was so I was ready for some real like

deep answer it was so unbelievably hot

in the studio why do you think I'm in

the sun right now yeah unbelievably

incredible I recorded this thing in a

sauna I'm sorry I love the heat biggest

challenge well at this point maybe you

have heard it maybe it's you're about to

hear it we had a great time making it

hopefully you like it if you don't

that's okay you can play something else

um if you do like it thank you thank you

thanks for having us yeah thanks for

coming to our

house get the

[Music]

out sh

[Music]