Growing up in the spotlight! Selena Gomez got her start on Barney and Friends when she was just a kid and has since made a major name for herself in Hollywood.

Aside from her various acting gigs, which include a Disney Channel series and multiple big budget films, the Texas native has become a singing superstar, fashion designer and makeup mogul.

“When I was younger I was lucky enough to find my passion, and from that point on, I kind of had to go with it no matter what happened,” Selena said during the December 2020 Teen Vogue Summit. “And because of that, a lot of people told me ‘no,’ a lot of people said … that I wasn’t capable.”

Over the years, Selena has proved the haters wrong. After nabbing a guest starring role in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody in 2005, the actress went on to star as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 until 2012. Once her Disney Channel days came to an end, Selena continued her acting career with movies like Spring Breakers and the Hotel Transylvania series, among others. She’s also since taken on a behind-the-scenes for some projects. Most notably, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer executive produced Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.

“The theme of everything I do is good quality,” Selena also explained during the Teen Vogue Summit. “I want to make sure the stuff that I have, whether it’s all the business stuff to my work acting and singing, it’s important for me to be authentic and to connect to something. Otherwise, it seems a bit pointless to me. It requires a lot of hard work. But the payoff is amazing.”

Selena has been able to connect with her fans through her mental health struggles too. In April 2020, the Rare Beauty founder revealed her bipolar disorder diagnosis during a conversation with Miley Cyrus on her “Bright Minded” Instagram Live series. “When I got to know more information, it actually helps me,” Selena shared. “It doesn’t scare me once I know it and I think people get scared of that.”

The actress has also sought treatment in rehab facilities for her struggles multiple times while in the public eye. When launching her Rare Beauty brand in September 2020, Selena vowed to raise both money and awareness with mental health initiatives.

“I had low self-esteem, and that’s something I work on continuously. But I feel so empowered because I’ve gained so much knowledge about what was going on mentally,” Selena told the Wall Street Journal in a January 2020 interview. “My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time.”

While tapping into her entrepreneurial side, Selena has still found the time to film a cooking show for HBO Max, Selena + Chef, and star in a Hulu series, Only Murders in the Building. There’s really nothing she can’t do!

Scroll through our gallery to see Selena’s total transformation over the years. 

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2007

Selena made her debut as Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place when it premiered in October 2007.

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2008

After signing with Hollywood Records, she released her debut single “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.”

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2009

She starred alongside then-BFF Demi Lovato in the Disney Channel Original Movie Princess Protection Program. Her debut album — Kiss & Tell — was released under the moniker Selena Gomez & The Scene.

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2010

Selena Gomez & The Scene dropped their second record, A Year Without Rain. She also starred in the movie Ramona and Beezus.

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2011

Selena’s final album with The Scene, When the Sun Goes Down, was released. That same year, she acted in the movie Monte Carlo.

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2012

After Wizards came to an end, Selena started voicing Mavis Dracula the Hotel Transylvania series and starred in Spring Breakers.

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2013

The songstress dropped her debut solo album, Stars Dance.

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2014

In 2014, Selena had starring roles in two films, Rudderless and Behaving Badly.

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2015

Before taking a brief hiatus from music, Selena dropped the Revival alum in October 2015.

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2016

She made an appearance in the movie Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising.

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2017

Selena executive produced 13 Reasons Why and dropped the singles “Bad Liar” and “Fetish.”

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2018

Aside from starring in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Selena also released the song “Back to You” and was featured on the track “Taki Taki.”

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2019

Her new era of music began with the release of “Lose You to Love Me” and “Look at her Now” in late 2019.

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2020

Selena’s Rare alum was released in January 2020. She also launched her Rare Beauty line and the show Selena + Chef.

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2021

The talented star dropped her first-ever Spanish-language EP, Revelación. She also starred in Only Murders in the Building.

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2022

The actress continued her Only Murders in the Building role. She also released her My Mind & Me documentary.