Honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago. 2013 was a weird, neon-soaked fever dream for pop music. You had Miley swinging on wrecking balls and Lorde making everyone feel "Royal," but right in the center of that chaotic Venn diagram was Selena Gomez Stars Dance.
It’s her first "real" solo album. No more "and the Scene." No more Disney safety net. Just Selena, a bunch of heavy EDM beats, and a whole lot of questions about whether she could actually pull off being a grown-up pop star. People love to look back and call it a "transition" record, but if you actually go back and listen, it’s much weirder and more interesting than that. It wasn't just a career move; it was a total identity crisis caught on tape.
The Bhangra, the Bass, and the "Rihanna Reject" Rumors
Let’s talk about "Come & Get It." You couldn't go to a grocery store in 2013 without hearing those "na na na" chants. It was massive. But here’s the thing: everyone knew it was originally written for Rihanna.
The critics at the time—especially The Guardian—were pretty brutal about it. They basically called her a "leftovers" artist. But hearing it now? Selena actually brought a specific, breathy vulnerability to that track that Rihanna’s powerhouse vocals might have steamrolled. It was this mix of worldbeat and heavy electronics that felt very now for 2013 but also kinda out of left field for a girl who was just playing a wizard on TV a year prior.
The album itself is a messy, beautiful pile of EDM and dubstep. Remember dubstep? It was everywhere. Tracks like "Slow Down" and "B.E.A.T." are literally built on those wobbly, aggressive synth breakdowns.
- Slow Down: A total club thumper produced by The Cataracs.
- Birthday: This one is weird. It’s almost like a cheerleader chant mixed with a dark basement party.
- Undercover: Probably the most underrated "dark" pop track of that era.
Why the Stars Dance Tour Really Ended (No, It Wasn't the Breakup)
This is the part that still makes fans' blood boil. If you were online in late 2013, the tabloids were having a field day. Selena canceled the Asian and Australian legs of the Stars Dance tour, and the rumors were nasty. People were saying she was in rehab for "party habits" or that she was losing it over her breakup with Justin Bieber.
The truth didn't come out until much later. Selena wasn't "partying too hard"—she was literally undergoing chemotherapy for lupus.
She told Billboard later that she was at a breaking point. She could have had a stroke. Think about that for a second. While the world was mocking her for "canceling on fans," she was in a treatment center trying to keep her body from attacking itself. It puts the whole "party girl" vibe of the album in a totally different, almost tragic light. She was singing about dancing the night away while her health was cratering behind the scenes.
The Secret Credits: Who Actually Made This Record?
Most people think these Disney-transition albums are just manufactured by a boardroom. To be fair, some are. But the credits on Selena Gomez Stars Dance are like a "who’s who" of people who would eventually rule pop.
- Julia Michaels: Before she was a superstar herself, she was co-writing "Slow Down."
- The Monsters & Strangerz: They handled "Forget Forever" and basically defined the sound of the mid-2010s.
- Rock Mafia: The long-time Selena collaborators who kept a bit of her original DNA in the mix.
- A$AP Rocky? Okay, he wasn't on the album, but the "Stars Dance" era was when she started hanging out with that crowd, leading to "Good For You" later on.
The Breakup Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about "Love Will Remember." It’s the only ballad on an album that is otherwise trying to blow your speakers out. It even had a leaked version with a voicemail that sounded exactly like Justin Bieber.
It was the first time she really let the "perfect" image crack. While songs like "Like a Champion" were about being "sexy, sexy, sexy" (her words, not mine), "Love Will Remember" was the sound of a 21-year-old realizing that the "forever" she promised in her Disney years was actually a lot more complicated.
Is It Still "Good"? Or Just Nostalgic?
If you play Selena Gomez Stars Dance today, parts of it feel incredibly dated. The dubstep drops in "B.E.A.T." feel like a time capsule of 2013 fashion—all galaxy-print leggings and shutter shades.
But there’s a grit to it. It was the first time Selena took creative control. She executive produced it. She fought for the sound. It didn't have the polish of Revival or the raw honesty of Rare, but it had guts. It was her saying, "I’m not the girl you think I am," even if she didn't quite know who she was yet.
How to Revisit the Stars Dance Era Properly
If you're feeling nostalgic, don't just hit play on the singles. You've got to look at it as a piece of history.
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- Listen to "Save the Day": It’s the most "Euro-pop" she ever got and it’s a total hidden gem.
- Watch the 2013 Billboard Music Awards Performance: The one with the bindi. It caused a massive cultural appropriation debate at the time, which is a huge part of the album's messy legacy.
- Read the Lyrics to "Forget Forever": It’s a much better breakup song than "Love Will Remember" if you’re looking for something with a bit more bite.
Ultimately, this album was a bridge. It’s the bridge between the girl who sang "Who Says" and the woman who gave us "Lose You to Love Me." It’s loud, it’s over-produced, and it’s occasionally "generic," but it’s also the sound of someone finally claiming their own name.
What to do next:
Go back and listen to "Stars Dance" (the title track) with a good pair of headphones. Ignore the "Come & Get It" hype for a second. The title track has this dark, atmospheric cello (played by Cameron Stone) that feels way more like the Selena we know today than the EDM stuff. It’s the one moment on the record where you can hear the future artist she was about to become.