With the release of her album Revival and tour buses to follow, Selena Gomez is closing the book for the last time on chapters of her life that have continued to publicly plague her—predominantly her torrid relationship with "What Do You Mean?" crooner Justin Bieber.
In a revealing new interview with Refinery 29, the 23-year-old pop star addresses a laundry list of issues she has faced in the past year, including aggressive body-shamers and chemotherapy treatments for a battle with the chronic illness lupus. But first up—the Biebs.
"I think people really wanted to see me fail," Gomez tells Refinery 29. "I'd sit down in an interview and get the most harshly asked questions. Of course I got my heart broken. Of course I was pissed about it. There, everybody has it. I was so disappointed, because I never wanted my career to be a tabloid story."
Gomez and Bieber had dated tumultuously from 2011 to 2014, starting when she was still a teenager. A constant media spectacle, the couple's relationship was plastered against every tabloid cover, leaving no fickle argument or rumored break unturned.
Asked if she has any final words on the saga, Gomez simply responds, "Ha, I wish," laughing and shaking her head.
"At this point, there is no anger. There's closure in a very good, healthy way," she continues. "We've seen each other. I'm always encouraging and I am proud of his journey. I think people are making it out to be something that is more tragic than it really was. We grew up together. We both made mistakes. That's it."
While the brunette bombshell may be temporarily switching gears from men to music, she spares her time to champion for her gal pals, primarily fellow Disney alums Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, whom she said transitioned from child actors into superstars in their own unique ways. Gomez defends their authenticity, calling for respect in a time of deep criticism.
"Everyone has found their identity in a really interesting way. We didn't come out as these robots that looked and dressed the same," Gomez says. "We had to go through our own s--t. At the end of the day, it's respecting every female artist's choice in how she expresses herself, because that's what she wants."