Selena Gomez Fought Disney to Release One of Her Hit Songs

Rising to fame as a Disney Channel actress, Selena Gomez starred in the hit TV show “Wizards of Waverly Place” from 2007 to 2012 as Alex Russo. With a massive fanbase at a young age, she also signed as a musical artist under Disney’s Hollywood Records label and released hits like “Come & Get It” and “Love You Like A Love Song.” But it turns out Selena Gomez fought Disney to release one of her most adored songs.

Gomez’s association with Disney helped her gain a large following of fans, particularly among younger audiences. Her wholesome image and relatable characters made her a role model for many. So when she first heard the lyrics for the upbeat and inspiring “Who Says,” she knew she couldn’t let the track go to another artist.

Credit: Selena Gomez, Hollywood Records, YouTube

Selena explained how it all went down at Twilio’s SIGNAL conference, saying,

It’s actually a funny story: I was working with Disney at the time, and they were actually giving the song to another artist. And I cried — I remember I was with my mom — because I loved the song so much. I basically said to my label, ‘I feel like my fans are young, and they need it.’ That’s all I kept saying because I was 16 at the time. I was like, ‘I think my fans really need it; tell [them] my fans really need the song.’

And so maybe it just didn’t work out with the other artist, but that was a gift to me that I did not know I needed. And I love, love that song, and it has carried with me through my whole career, and I fought for it. So, to be honest, I, to this day, need to hear it.

Credit: Disney

With such memorable lyrics like “Who says you’re not perfect/ Who says you’re not worth it” and “I wouldn’t wanna be anybody else,” fans can hardly imagine anyone else singing the 2011 hit song.

Selena Gomez has since topped the charts with new music like “Hands To Myself,” “Lose You to Love Me,” and her brand new “Single Soon,” while also starring under the Disney umbrella on the popular Hulu show Only Murders in the Building. Despite how her career has taken off since her time as a child Disney star, Gomez clearly still considers “Who Says” a very special song in her career.

Gomez elaborated on her love for the track, stating,

I’m just saying the message, it will last and last because it’s the truth. It’s such a special song.

Any guesses on what artist the song was initially meant to go to?? Demi Lovato or Miley Cyrus, maybe?