I Said I Love You First

あなたがいるから、素直になれる―
共に高め合い、愛し合う二人のアーティストの唯一無二の恋物語。

7歳の時に子役として活動を開始して以来、歌手、女優、活動家、インスタクイーンとして"圧倒的女王"の地位を確立したセレーナ・ゴメス。今作は、昨年12月に婚約を発表したコンポーザー、プロデューサー、シンガーのベニー・ブランコとの共作で、新婚生活を送る二人のプライベートを明かすアルバムになっている。スタンダードCD仕様。

7歳の時に子役として活動を開始し、米ディズニー・チャンネルのドラマ『ウェイバリー通りのウィザードたち(2007)』出演を機に大ブレイクしたセレーナ・ゴメス。1st ソロAL『スターズ・ダンス』(2013)、2nd AL『リバイバル』(2015)、3rd AL『レア』(2020)で3作品連続全米アルバム・チャート1位を記録。さらに、前作『リヴェラシオン』(2021)は「第64回グラミー賞」にて「最優秀ラテンポップアルバム」に初ノミネートされるなど、ジャンルの垣根を越えた活躍でも注目されている。

ベニー・ブランコは、ケイティ・ペリーの「ティーンネージ・ドリーム」をはじめ、マルーン5の「ムーヴス・ライク・ジャガー」、リアーナの「ダイアモンズ」、ジャスティン・ビーバーの「ラヴ・ユアセルフ」、エド・シーラン「パーフェクト」ほか、数々のヒット曲をプロデュースし、これまでに11回のグラミー賞ノミネートを記録している。2018年には、ソロ・アーティストとしてもデビューを果たし、グレイシー・エイブラムス、ジュース・ワールド、マシュメロなどとコラボレーションしている。

After a few years focusing on acting and other pursuits, Selena Gomez returned to the studio with producer Benny Blanco to craft her 2025 album I Said I Love you First. Not only was Blanco the producer and co-star, he was also her fiancee, and the album functions on many levels as the story of their relationship -- with a few detours into Gomezs life story as well. As on her best albums, I Said is the most satisfying when she hovers just outside of mainstream tropes and does songs that have more personality than most modern pop. Its here where her intimate vocals, which are as always strong but never overpowering, operate with the most efficacy, and Blanco takes pain to help make this the least-produced, least-fussy album shes done yet. Short, snappy pop songs like "Call Me When You Break Up" pair with slinky Latin dance tracks ("I Cant Get Enough"), sexy club bangers ("Bluest Flame"), and ballads both sweetly laid-back ("Ojos Tristes") and murkily melancholy ("You Said You Were Sorry"); the end result is a diverse and entertaining record. It certainly shows that Gomez fits like a glove no matter what genre she tries, especially with Blanco and a team of co-songwriters doing their best to make it seem effortless. Songs like "Dont Wanna Cry," an achingly emotionally bare, midtempo track thats sparse and intense, and "Cowboy," a trappy ballad that feels like it was recorded at 5 a.m. under blue lights, show off Gomezs range and growing artistry. Nowhere is that more apparent than on "Younger and Hotter Than Me," one of the songs that detour away from relationship biz and loop back to show biz as she looks back on her early acting career and comes to grip with growing a little older. Her unadorned vocals drip with sarcasm and pain, and she fully inhabits the sonic landscape that Blanco meticulously crafts for her. That she can scale those kinds of dramatic heights while also sounding at home on a hushed, acoustic ballad like "Dont Take It Personally" or on a goofy pop song like "Sunset Blvd" is impressive and helps make this her most fully realized album yet and a highlight in a career dotted with really good pop records. ~ Tim Sendra