"Selena only commits to things that move her and/or tell her story," Interscope chairman/CEO John Janick told Billboard in January 2020, when Selena Gomez released her album Rare.
The singer did just that on her third LP, as well as her GRAMMY-nominated 2021 Spanish EP, Revelación. But nothing encapsulates Janick's characterization of Gomez more than I Said I Love You First, her joint album with Benny Blanco.
While the world now knows them as a soon-to-be-married couple — they announced their engagement in December 2024 — Gomez and Blanco have worked together for more than a decade. The songwriter/producer played a role in helping the pop star come into her own on 2015's Revival, establishing a trust and friendship that was instantly invaluable to Gomez.
"He listened to me," Gomez told Interview Magazine. "Whether we were together or not, I think he still would've listened to everything that I had to say, and he was able to almost transcribe it into music, into what the feeling of what I was talking about should be."
As their musical partnership grew, so did their feelings ("I liked him before he liked me," Gomez admitted to Interview, alluding to the album's playful title). By the time they were officially together, Gomez was unsure of her future as an artist. When Blanco suggested a joint project, though, returning to music just made sense.
Of course, there was hesitation ("We said at the beginning, 'If this ever is weird, we cancel it f—ing immediately,'" Blanco recalled to Interview). But I Said I Love You First came as naturally as any of their previous collaborations — perhaps even more so because they recorded it where they fell in love, in the home that they share now.
"We'd get up in the morning, [and] we'd have a conversation," Gomez said for Spotify's "Countdown To I Said I Love You First." "But our conversation was never led going, 'What are we gonna write in the album?' It was very, like, 'This is on my mind. How does that make you feel?'" Blanco added, "Yeah, I felt like your personal journal."
As a result, I Said I Love You First conveys their relationship by letting their respective artistry shine. Between Gomez's versatile vulnerability and Blanco's knack for bright pop melodies, the album is a fun, yet heartfelt display of the undeniable chemistry they've had all along.
Below, revisit Blanco and Gomez's collaborations that inadvertently set the table for their first full-length project together — and their happily ever after.
When Blanco and Gomez met, Gomez was still largely seen as a Disney star. Blanco saw something else. "When she started putting out music, I was so into it. I feel like she was the original sad girl," he told Interview. Gomez had released four albums before 2015 — one solo and three with her former band, The Scene — but she firmly left Disney behind with Revival, her sophomore LP that introduced the artist she truly wanted to be.
Revival also spawned Gomez's first two collaborations with Blanco, "Same Old Love" and "Kill 'Em With Kindness"; the former, a melodic anthem for autonomy and self-worth, was the album's second single. Blanco co-produced the earworm with Stargate, and co-wrote it with Stargate, Ross Golan, and "Fancy" it-girl Charli XCX.
As Gomez recalled to Genius, she already felt seen by Blanco. "Benny is hilarious, and his energy is addictive to be around," she said. "He tries without even trying. He just hears things that no one else does."
While "Kill Em With Kindness" still featured swirling production, its messaging was much more raw than "Same Old Love" — hinting at the versatility of the collaborative chemistry between Gomez and Blanco, who co-produced the track with Rock Mafia.
The singer used "Kill Em With Kindness" to gracefully address the ruthless criticism she'd faced as a teen star; its sentiment became even more heart-wrenching after she publicly detailed her battle with lupus, and announced she'd take a hiatus following her Revival Tour. As Blanco said to Interview, Gomez's vulnerability is one of the things he admires about her most.
"The thing that Selena does that not a lot of artists do is she's never afraid to tell the truth, even if it might not be the most popular thing," he said. "Sometimes she's sad, sometimes she hasn't figured out love, but she always says it in the realest way that so many people can connect with. So many pop stars are unattainable, but somehow she's the largest person in the room and makes each person feel like she's exactly like them."
Before Gomez stepped away from the spotlight, she teamed up with Blanco again for "Trust Nobody," a collaboration with Cashmere Cat — a longtime friend of Blanco's — and Tory Lanez. Though the song didn't have the same commercial impact as "Same Old Love" or "Kill Em With Kindness," it marked Gomez's first collaboration with Blanco in the dance world, further hinting at their musical prowess.
Lyrically, "Trust Nobody" was more risqué than their previous team-ups, offering some foreshadowing that perhaps they didn't even see coming at the time: "Hope you're good at keeping secrets/ Say you're good at keeping secrets/ 'Cause you know I don't trust nobody/ I know you don't trust nobody/ Said only I can touch your body," Gomez sings on the chorus.
Last July, Blanco celebrated Gomez's birthday by posting an Instagram photo from behind the scenes of their "I Can't Get Enough" video shoot. "I used to play a teddy bear in [your] music video and now I get to be yours in real life," he wrote in the caption.
Indeed, the video for the Latin-infused track featured a teddy-fied Blanco alongside a pajama-clad Gomez, offering a glimpse of their playful chemistry. And while it was "Single Soon" that made them realize their feelings for one another (more on that later), "I Can't Get Enough" must hold a special place in their hearts because, six years after its release, the song is included on the I Said I Love You First track list.**
Gomez's musical partnership with Blanco was rather quiet in the years after "I Can't Get Enough," but "Single Soon" changed everything. As Gomez recalled in Spotify's "Countdown To I Said I Love You First," the session for "Single Soon" made her realize how comfortable she is around Blanco — and while Blanco admitted to Interview that he was initially "clueless," it wasn't long before he was telling his mom, "This is the girl I'm going to marry."
Co-produced by Blanco and Cashmere Cat, the ironically titled "Single Soon" picked up where "I Can't Get Enough" left off — continuing the freer, flirtier evolution of Gomez's work with Blanco. Little did they know that it would ultimately be the collaboration that led them to both each other and a full project together.
After "Single Soon," Gomez played coy about if and when she'd release her long-awaited follow-up to 2020's Rare. Likewise, Blanco still hadn't followed up on his debut album, Friends Keep Secrets. Neither could have predicted that I Said I Love You First would answer both conundrums.
"We were both in such a space where we were just like, 'What are we doing? We've said everything we wanted to,'" Blanco told Apple Music's Zane Lowe. "We've been fortunate enough to have these careers that have lasted so long. This was kind of just an idea that started in our bedroom, and it was like, Oh, let's just make something fun. And then, it actually was really good."
The album features credits from several longtime pals of both Gomez and Blanco, including Julia Michaels, Cashmere Cat, Justin Tranter, and Charli XCX — the latter marking a full-circle moment from their first collaboration. Naturally, songs like "Cowboy" call back to Gomez's earlier sound (as Blanco described it on "Hot Ones," "whisper-pop"). But for the most part, I Said I Love You First highlights each of their strengths as well as their story, from paying homage to their first date with "Sunset Blvd" to fearing losing each other on "Scared Of Loving You."
Ultimately, the album isn't just a celebration of their love — it's a tribute to their courage to open up and see what could happen.
"This isn't 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 are, other people get to listen to this album," Blanco said in their Spotify conversation. "I hope it inspires people to feel a certain way about themselves or their partners, but all in all, the best part about it was just being able to spend time with and make something I love with the person I love."