After taking nearly a year off from music, Selena Gomez is back with a new song called "It Ain't Me." Gomez's return wasn't much of a surprise, being that she's reportedly been working since her last album, 2015's Revival. Last month, Gomez shared a video of herself in the studio alongside writers Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, who helped in the making of Gomez's sophomore album. Since she's spending so much time in the studio, it's worth looking into when Gomez's next album will drop.
The honest answer to that? We don't know yet, since she hasn't announced a release date or even talked about a new album. Still, that doesn't mean we can't try and figure it out based on what Gomez has done previously. Specifically, looking at the timeframe for when she dropped her first single and then released the album it's featured on.
Before releasing Revival in 2015, Gomez shared the album's first single "Good For You" four months before it came out. When releasing her first solo album Stars Dance in 2013, she put out the single "Come & Get It" three months before. I can't help but notice a pattern here, how about you?
If Gomez continues on this route, which seems likely knowing what we already know, it's entirely possible she will release a new album in May or June 2017. Right in time for summer, which also happens to be the perfect time for her to go on tour. The first leg of her Revival tour took her across the U.S. from May to July.
Another sign that Gomez will drop an album in 2017 is her increased social media presence. In August 2016, Gomez announced she was taking some time off from the spotlight so she could focus on her health. After announcing she had been diagnosed with lupus in 2015, Gomez released a statement to People explaining that she "discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects."
Three months later, Gomez returned, telling fans in an interview with Thrive Global that after ditching her phone for 90 days, she was experiencing the "most refreshing, calming, rejuvenating feeling." It also sounds like a good time to start creating. It seems like she's starting by giving her Instagram followers a look at what she's been up to lately, like hanging out with the cast of her upcoming Netflix series 13 Reasons and getting amazing haircuts.
It's hard not to look at some of her recent posts, though, and not notice that they feel very promotional. These are images that look like they're behind the scenes of photoshoots. She even shouted out photographer Petra F. Collins, who has shot Kim Kardashian, Rowan Blanchard, and Bella Hadid. Not to mention, who has worked with Gomez before for a 2015 issue of Wonderland.
Most of these photos are being posted without captions, which could be a sign that the stories behind these images are ones she's not quite ready to share just yet. Give it three or four months, though, and things may become a little bit clearer.
