Revival (Selena Gomez Album)
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''Revival'' is the second studio album by American singer
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
. It was released on October 9, 2015, by
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
, her first album released through that label. Preparation for the album began in 2014, when Gomez left her previous label
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
. The record was influenced by a range of artists, particularly
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
and her album '' Stripped'' (2002). Gomez co-wrote twelve of its sixteen tracks. The album reflects her journey since 2013, including the media scrutiny surrounding her personal life. As executive producers, Gomez,
Danny D D Mob (or D-Mob), also known as Dancin' Danny D or simply Danny D (born May 26, 1963), is a British music producer and remixer. His most notable track was " C'mon and Get My Love" with Cathy Dennis on the vocals, which peaked at number 10 on ...
and Tim Blacksmith collaborated with
Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his l ...
,
Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...
, and
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
to achieve Gomez's new desired sound. ''Revival'' is primarily a
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
and
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
record, connected by a
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...
sound, with lyrical themes revolving around love and confidence. Upon its release, ''Revival'' received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised its production, lyrical content, and sultry sound. The album was included in several year-end best music lists by publications. ''Revival'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, marking Gomez's second consecutive number-one album in the United States, following ''
Stars Dance ''Stars Dance'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Selena Gomez. It was released on July 19, 2013, by Hollywood Records. Gomez began planning the project in 2012, at which time she announced that her band Selena Gomez & the Scene ...
'' (2013). Elsewhere, the album also charted within the top ten of twenty territories, including Canada, Brazil, France, Mexico and Australia. It was certified
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by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), denoting one million
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s (including albums sales, streaming and track-equivalent units) sold in the United States. With its singles " Good for You" (featuring rapper
ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...
) and "
Same Old Love "Same Old Love" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez, who included it on and released it from her second studio album '' Revival'' (2015). The song was written by Charli XCX, Ross Golan, and its producers Stargate and Benny Blanc ...
" both reaching number five and "
Hands to Myself "Hands to Myself" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez for her second studio album, ''Revival (Selena Gomez album), Revival'' (2015). It was released on January 20, 2016, as the record's third single (music), single by Interscope ...
" charting at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ''Revival'' is further distinguished as Gomez's first record to house multiple top ten singles in the United States; all of which became her first three number-one singles on the
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
chart. To promote the album, Gomez performed the songs in several televised appearances, including ''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...
'', the
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and the
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. Furthermore, Gomez embarked on a concert tour, titled
Revival Tour The Revival Tour was the second solo concert tour by American singer Selena Gomez, in support of her second solo studio album '' Revival'' (2015). The tour began in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 6, 2016. The tour was ...
in May 2016, which visited North America, Asia and Oceania, before it was canceled in August 2016 following Gomez facing health issues stemming from her
lupus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...
diagnosis. The album was intended as a revival by Gomez both sonically and publicly. Acting as an
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
for the first time, Gomez stated this is her first album where she felt fully free to decide all aspects about the project and sound, and leaned into her hidden artistry and uncharted depth without any pushback. She stated that she had developed a severe daily fear of public scrutiny after hearing discussion about "everything" and "anything” she has ever done in her life, but didn't want to live not trusting anyone and always fearing the worst.


Background

In July 2013, Gomez released her debut solo album, ''
Stars Dance ''Stars Dance'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Selena Gomez. It was released on July 19, 2013, by Hollywood Records. Gomez began planning the project in 2012, at which time she announced that her band Selena Gomez & the Scene ...
.'' The album was well received commercially, debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. Gomez embarked on the Stars Dance Tour later that year, which was set to cross several continents, including dates in Asia and Oceania. These concerts would not materialize as Gomez canceled the remainder of the tour in late 2013, citing personal reasons: "It has become clear to me and those close to me that after many years of putting my work first, I need to spend some time on myself in order to be the best person I can be." Gomez entered a rehab treatment facility for her
lupus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...
diagnosis in May 2014. Publications began to speculate her intent in fulfilling contractual obligations by releasing a final compilation album for her longtime label,
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
. Later reports published in September suggested that she had secured a new recording contract with
Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...
chairman
John Janick John Janick is an American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Janick has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 list every year since 2014 and was named Variety's Hitmakers Executive of the year in 201 ...
. At that time, Gomez had already sold around 2.8 million albums and 18.1 million singles in the United States, including three studio albums with her band
Selena Gomez & the Scene Selena Gomez & the Scene was an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2008, its last lineup consisted of vocalist Selena Gomez, drummer Greg Garman, bassist Joey Clement, keyboardist Dane Forrest, and guitarist Drew Ta ...
. In November 2014, Gomez captioned an Instagram post with: "As I have a last listen, I thought a lot about my year. I thought a lot about my voice. And after a year of holding on. I think it's time to start sharing." She later released her compilation album '' For You'', representing her final project with Hollywood Records as Gomez officially announced her change in labels the following month. After performing its lead single "The Heart Wants What it Wants" at the 2014 American Music Awards, Gomez revealed that she had begun work on her next studio album. She cited the single as a reference point, stating, "It's exciting for me to start off with something like t And then start leading into writing about all the other things that are going on in my life and have gone on in the past year or so. Even if it's things that people may not necessarily know about. So I'm excited to kind of put more of my heart and soul into the next chapter of music." The same month, Gomez commented that she had been recording new music, and suggested a possible partnership with producer and disc jockey
Zedd Anton Zaslavski (; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a German record producer and DJ. His stage name, Zedd, was derived from ''zed'', the Z#Name and pronunciation, English pronunciation, barring American English, for ...
. On February 23, 2015, a collaboration between Gomez and Zedd titled " I Want You to Know" was released.


Development

Gomez discussed that her new material would reflect upon the "journey" she experienced since 2013, with Christina Garibaldi from
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
assuming her comments were referencing her former relationship with
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
, and a period spent in rehab in 2014, among other subjects. In an interview with
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...
in June, Gomez stated, it is about her "new-found confidence". Her voice coach also commented that the album was going to be "more adult, more feminine and more about Selena's experiences." Gomez stated that ''Revival'' offers insight into her perception of various experiences, further elaborating on its themes of kindness, having faith, heartbreak, the "passion of a relationship" as well as "being erown person". As the album's executive producer, she "wanted to know that every single song meant the world to me, whether I wrote it or not. For me, I had to discover what was going to separate me. I know that I'm not the world's greatest singer, but I do know that I have a unique tone. And I'm an actress—I love being able to translate everything I'm feeling inside through my voice and through the songs. ..This whole record is extremely intimate." In an interview with ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', Gomez stated that she was influenced by a wide range of artists growing up, from
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
and
NSYNC NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
. She commented that her main influence for the record was
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
, specifically her 2002 release '' Stripped'', which she cites as an exemplar of a "complete" album and inspired her own decision to tell a story through ''Revival''. Gomez further commented on her life in the media: "Now, I'm in the place of my life where I released an album at 16—nobody's going to relate
o that O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), ...
They're going to be like, 'Great, what are you singing about?' Because of how much my life was exposed, I almost had to use that for this record. People can't say, 'You don't know what you're talking about. You haven't been through this.' It's like, you’ve all grown up with me at this point!"


Recording

Gomez first hinted at a collaboration with Australian singer Sia through a November 2014 Instagram post, and Sia later stated that she had composed some material for her. Gomez began to record songs for ''Revival'' in December 2014, revealing collaborations with producers Dreamlab and Ruffian and production team
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
. She initially expected that the record would contain 15 "extremely exciting" songs. In January 2015, production duo
Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...
announced they were working with Gomez on the album. She explained to MTV News that ''Revival'' was the most she'd ever gotten creatively involved in album, "Every single thing I'm even remotely singing about is something I've related to and something I'm hitting the nail on, and I had to pick what was going to represent the album and who I am as a whole." " Good for You" was one of the first tracks recorded, which was initially written by
Nick Monson Nicholas Paul Monson is a producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles, California. Career Monson is known for his collaborations with Lady Gaga, beginning with ''Artpop,'' in which he co-produced 9 songs'','' including the ...
,
Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...
and
Justin Tranter Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, ...
. In an interview with ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'', Tranter revealed that their studio time was originally accommodated to "tweak" a different song, and the trio wrote "Good for You" in 45 minutes upon its completion. It was the third song she received since signing with her new label Interscope Records. Gomez exhausted herself prior to the recording session for "Good for You", as she had pressured herself into figuring out a sound and concept for the album. Gomez's vocals cracked due to this, and the song "took on this emotion hedidn't realize hecould tap into". Midway through the album's recording process, Gomez went on a trip to
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara Metropo ...
with
Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his l ...
and a few members of his producing team, as well as Rock Mafia and songwriters Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels. According to her, "it was all of us in one house for five or six days. We would go out, listen to live music, and go back and create in this studio – in a closet, basically." During the creative process Gomez wanted "to get out of her head." "Body Heat" was the first song that Gomez recorded on the trip; at 5. A.M. after she heard
Mexican music The music of Mexico is highly diverse, featuring a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, primarily deriving from Europeans, Indigenous, and Africans. Music became an expression of M ...
through the night. According to her, because the "live instruments, the beats, what you feel ... It kind of represents everything that I love about who I am." While working on the album, Gomez also enlisted frequent collaborators
Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...
to help make her sound a reality. They assisted Gomez on the creation of six of its tracks, including "Revival" and "Kill Em with Kindness", the latter being one of the "most personal" tracks on ''Revival''. She told the producers that although the production was important, she wanted its focus to be the lyrics. According to Gomez, one of the main inspirations behind "Kill Em with Kindness" was the body-shaming she dealt with from the media, after photos surfaced online of her in a bikini during a trip to Mexico in April 2015. Many claimed she had gained weight, with some outlets going as far as to label her a "mess", and suggested Gomez was " going off the deep end". She commented: "I was getting a lot of hate for my body and ‘you're gaining weight,’ and so I was in Mexico and I was just feeling all of this stuff and I would be lying to you if I said it didn't kind of hurt my feelings, but I kind of channeled that into my music." Gomez called the experience "degrading", explaining that she had never been through such intense bullying before. Several songs were recorded at
Casa Aramara Casa Aramara is a private, seaside estate in Punta Mita, Mexico. The property was built by media entrepreneur Joe Francis. Casa Aramara is in Punta Mita, a 1,500-acre beachfront village on the north end of Banderas Bay in the Mexican state of ...
Studios located in
Punta Mita Punta Mita is a private peninsula that is home to the Four Seasons Punta Mita, St. Regis Punta Mita, Conrad Hilton, and 16 sub-communities. Punta Mita is located on the north end of Banderas Bay in the Mexican state of Nayarit, about north ...
. Speaking about her experience in Mexico, Gomez stated: Gomez also worked with recording team
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
, who handled "Sober" and "Same Old Love", the latter of which was co-written by British singer
Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...
. XCX and Gomez weren't in the physical presence of each other during the session, though XCX's manager was present throughout. Gomez was drawn to the track and she believed "Same Old Love" represented her strained relationship with her father and how it reflected on her subsequent romantic relationships. The song's recording sessions took place at
Westlake Studios Westlake Recording Studios is a music recording studio with two locations in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, California. History Westlake Recording Studios was founded in the early 1970s by the American audio engineer Tom Hidley under the name ...
in Los Angeles, and Dreamlab Studios in
Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1 ...
. "Sober" was also developed during this time. According to Gomez, inspiration came after she and one of its writers,
Chloe Angelides Chloe Angelides (born May 21, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. She has written songs such as "Zipper" for Jason Derulo for his album '' Talk Dirty'', "Jackie (B.M.F.)" for Ciara for her album '' Jackie'', " Burnin' Up" for ...
, discussed social awkwardness and how Gomez "would hang out with people and they would drink and they're so fun, then the next day it would be weird." Following the commercial success of "Good for You" as lead single treatment, Gomez decided to collaborate for an additional four days with Michaels and Tranter despite her label's instructions for the album to be mixed at the time. Before the sessions began, Gomez felt that she had already addressed her desired themes for ''Revival'', but wanted additional material that would be "fresh from a female perspective", which culminated in "
Hands to Myself "Hands to Myself" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez for her second studio album, ''Revival (Selena Gomez album), Revival'' (2015). It was released on January 20, 2016, as the record's third single (music), single by Interscope ...
". Recording took place at Wolf Cousins and
Maratone Studios Maratone is a music production company, and started by two music producers and songwriters, Max Martin and Tom Talomaa. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, it was started in January 2001 after the closing of Cheiron Studios. Maratone moved in at Cosmos S ...
in Stockholm, Sweden, and at Interscope Studios in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. In those four days, they also developed " Me & the Rhythm" which was the last song recorded for the album.


Composition


Music and lyrics

Musically, ''Revival'' is primarily a
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
and
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
record with R&B vibes, which has been also described as "a heady mix of
electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...
pop". It has a "warm, tropical beach-pop sound", and as noted by
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Tim Sendra, " tveers away from the
bubblegum Bubble gum (or bubblegum) is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Composition In modern chewing gum, if natural rubber such as chicle is used, it must pass several purity and cleanliness tests. However, ...
nature of her early work or the genre-hopping aspects of other releases." As he continued, "the album sticks pretty close to a club bangers-and-ballads mix with a couple of R&B-inspired jams thrown in." Other critics also saw that the album has "midtempo pop", minimalist dance beats and smoldering R&B grooves. Steve Knopper of ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' also highlighted that " e album is frequently dark and ominous, full of torch songs, with just enough stylish electronic dance music synths and upbeat melodies to enliven the mood." Mikael Wood of ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' and Mike Wass of
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...
both compared it to the works of
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
, with Wood comparing to her 2015 record, ''
Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: Books * ''Unbreakable'' (book), the 2017 autobiography of Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', the 2013 autobiography of singer Jenni Rivera Film and television * ''Unbreakable' ...
'' in terms of sound, and Wass to her breakthrough album, ''
Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controlling ...
'' (1986) in terms of its empowering themes.


Songs and lyrical content

The album's opening track "Revival" was considered "an experimental electro-adventure" with an "uplifting chorus." Lyrically, the song deals with themes of
self-care Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and actively manage illness when it occurs. Individuals engage in some form of self-care daily with food choices, ...
, embracing one's inner power and self-restoration. It begins with a spoken-word introduction, where she says: "I'm reborn in every moment, so who knows what I'll become?," before singing "It's my time to butterfly," where "the word '
butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
' serv sas both a
state of being In linguistics, a copula (; : copulas or copulae; abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word ''is'' in the sentence "The sky is blue" or the phrase ''was not being'' in the ...
and an
intransitive verb In grammar, an intransitive verb is a verb, aside from an auxiliary verb, whose context does not entail a transitive object. That lack of an object distinguishes intransitive verbs from transitive verbs, which entail one or more objects. Add ...
." Gomez also explained that the song gathers everything she was feeling in the two years leading up to the album's release and the need she felt to be heard. The lines, 'I'll admit it's been painful, but I'll be honest and grateful,' is one of her favorites because "ultimately it led me and pushed me to be where I am today. Nothing has been handed to me. I've had to strive for it, and really put my all in it." The second track "Kill Em with Kindness" is described as a dance, club-banger with a "
tropical house Tropical house, also known as trop house, is a subgenre of house music, and a derivation of tropical music, with elements of dancehall and Balearic house. Artists of the genre are often featured at various summer festivals such as Tomorrowland. ...
breeze" and "added bells and whistles". The song offers positive advice for dealing with critics: instead of raising the proverbial middle finger, it suggests to take the high road and kill them with kindness. For Gomez, " 's kind of my
motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
for life. It's so much easier to be mean. It's so easy to just kind of give yourself that, but it's so hard to walk away from a situation, turn your cheek the other way, and be the bigger person." "Same Old Love", an electropop and
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...
track is built on a "rickety" piano sample and backgrounded Italo synths, starting off with a "whimsical ‘60s feel, but morph nginto a punchy bass dance track," In terms of lyrics, "Same Old Love" is about how people perceive love, and how everyone has a cycle, whether it's friendship, family, a relationship. She further explained it: "People get uncomfortable with change, and they compromise, and I think this song is representing the angst, and the pain, and a little bit of the anger that it comes with." "Hands to Myself" is a dance-pop and synthpop number, and has influences of American recording artist
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. It begins stripped-down with a minimal backdrop and a sparse, thumping
beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...
. This comprises drums, bass, lightly clicking percussion and hand claps. "Hands to Myself" is a flirty and sassy song about
seduction In sexuality, seduction means enticing someone else into sexual intercourse or Human sexual activity, other sexual activity. Strategies of seduction include conversation and Sexual script theory, sexual scripts, paralanguage, paralingual featur ...
, "Sober" brings ‘80s "slamming" synthesizers to the fore and "girlie yelps", which lyrically regards social awkwardness and how a significant other doesn't know how to love unless alcohol is involved and the recognition that the boundaries in a relationship aren't so great. "Good for You" is an electro- R&B song, with pendulum-swing rhythm, swirling keyboard atmospherics and affirming
ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...
rap; it also has Gomez "exploring her lower range and playing up the smokier edges of her speaking voice." The lyrics to "Good for You" explore confidence, embracing one's sexuality and feeling comfortable in your own skin. "Camouflage" is a piano-driven ballad, that addresses the end of a relationship, and even though she has 'so much shit' to say, she doesn't know how since the person that she was with is no longer recognizable." "Me & the Rhythm" is a dance,
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
, and "breathy" synthpop song, with an "icy" Scandinavian arrangement, while the
trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
-inspired The song talks about losing yourself on the dance floor, while being free within that moment, being free within yourself. while "Outta My Hands (Loco)" was compared to her earlier albums, ''
Stars Dance ''Stars Dance'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Selena Gomez. It was released on July 19, 2013, by Hollywood Records. Gomez began planning the project in 2012, at which time she announced that her band Selena Gomez & the Scene ...
'' (2013) and '' When the Sun Goes Down'' (2011). "Survivors", as emphasized by Gomez, talks about "surviving every day, in our circumstances ..and bringing each other up instead of tearing each other down, ’cause we're all just surviving." She completed: "'Survivors' is a community thing ... What's mine is yours. It's us. It's ours together." "Body Heat" brings
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
fusion with saxophone,
horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...
and
brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
, and was inspired by
Mexican culture Mexico's culture emerged from the culture of the Spanish culture, Spanish Empire and the preexisting Pre-Columbian Mexico, indigenous cultures of Mexico. Mexican culture is described as the 'child' of both Western civilization, western and Indi ...
, its lyrics regards sex, while "Rise" is "an empowerment anthem encouraging perseverance and determination in tough moments." On the other hand, "Rise" contains a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
chorus, whooping and a spoken-word prayer. "Me & My Girls" was considered a "party-jam", with a "
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
inspired sound," the song incorporates themes of
female empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several method, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, equal status in society, ...
. "Nobody" has syncopated beats, finger snaps, it also contains a synth flute and
trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
beats, its lyrics and finds the singer paying tribute to her lover, and as she claimed, it was written about her faith and connection with God, "Perfect" is about "feeling downright obsessive as she wrestles with her man moving on to the next one," and Gomez admitted that the song is "very, very personal song, and it was extremely accurate. ..In a way, it's a little sad. It's beautiful too." Musically, the song is a modern R&B performance that has a "dreamy, harp-smattered production." The last track from deluxe version of ''Revival'' is "Cologne", the song has a "mellow, midtempo" vibe. and talks about "constantly having a certain someone on her mind, and loving herself when they are not around."


Singles

" Good for You" was released as the album's lead single on June 22, 2015. Gomez created anticipation for the release of the single by posting several teasers of the song on Instagram. The song was released to warm critical reception. It debuted at number nine on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming her third top 10 song on the chart and her highest charting debut. "Good for You" has reached number five on the chart, becoming her highest-charting single at the time. It sold 179,000 downloads in its first week, marking the first time Gomez topped the
Digital Songs The Digital Song Sales (previously named Digital Songs and Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Luminate and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally started tracking ...
chart, and becoming her highest first-week sales of any of her songs. The song's video was released on June 26, 2015. In conclusion, the song also topped the US
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
chart in September 2015, reached the top-ten in five countries and top-twenty in other four. In early August, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' confirmed "
Same Old Love "Same Old Love" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez, who included it on and released it from her second studio album '' Revival'' (2015). The song was written by Charli XCX, Ross Golan, and its producers Stargate and Benny Blanc ...
" as the second single from the album. On August 5, 2015, Gomez was at the first day of iHeartMedia's Music Summit where she played the song. The song was made available for digital download with the pre-order of the album on September 10. The music video was shot in downtown Los Angeles on August 15 and part of it was shot at the Revival event. Fans from the event appeared at the end of the video. The music video was released to
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
on September 22, and to
Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
on October 7, 2015. The song has peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number five, thus tying with "Good for You" to become her highest-charting single, and has become her second number one on the
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
chart. Elsewhere, it reached the top-ten in Canada and top-forty in five countries. In early October, during an interview with ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', Gomez admitted her desire to release "Sober" as a single from ''Revival'' "at some point". On October 2, Gomez released " Me & the Rhythm" as a promotional single. It reached number fifty-seven on the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
. "
Hands to Myself "Hands to Myself" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez for her second studio album, ''Revival (Selena Gomez album), Revival'' (2015). It was released on January 20, 2016, as the record's third single (music), single by Interscope ...
" was serviced to
contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
as the third single from ''Revival'' in the US on January 26, 2016. The music video premiered as an
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
exclusive on December 21, 2015, and was released on Vevo on January 20, 2016. The song has reached number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Internationally, it has reached number five in New Zealand and number nine in Slovakia, as well as the top 40 in several other countries, such as Australia and Czech Republic. In March 2016, Gomez confirmed "
Kill Em with Kindness "Kill Em with Kindness" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez. It was serviced to contemporary hit radio on May 3, 2016, through Interscope Records as the fourth and final single from her second studio album '' Revival'' (2015). Th ...
" as the fourth and final single from the album. It peaked at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song's accompanying music video was released on June 6, 2016. It was sent to contemporary hit radio on May 3, 2016.


Release and artwork

In July 2015, Gomez announced that her sophomore record would be titled ''Revival'', and that it would be released on October 9. The album’s original artwork is not well-recognized, as it was replaced by a black-and-white deluxe edition cover later that year. The standard edition cover depicts Gomez in a sequined red dress; although it was replaced by the deluxe edition cover for physical pressings released after November 30. The track listing and alternate album art were revealed in September; the latter depicts a topless Gomez dressed in high-waisted black shorts with her hair and arms crossed over covering her breasts. At the time, Gomez shared that she felt the cover gave "a little
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
’70s vibe," and described the picture as "a beautiful representation of where I am." Christina Garibaldi from
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
highlighted similarities to the visuals for '' Stripped'' by Christina Aguilera (2002), a record which Gomez specified as a source of inspiration during the recording process. In June 2022, she revealed that she felt "ashamed" of the famous photo; she claimed that she is "not an overly sexual person" and said that the risqué image was not true to her values and personal boundaries.


Promotion

Gomez held an invitation-only "Revival Event" at the
Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...
in Los Angeles for 800 fans on September 16. It was advertised as an advanced screening of her music video for "Same Old Love," although Gomez delivered a previously-unannounced performance of the song to the audience before revealing that they would be included in the final clip. On October 2, Gomez confirmed that she would embark on the
Revival Tour The Revival Tour was the second solo concert tour by American singer Selena Gomez, in support of her second solo studio album '' Revival'' (2015). The tour began in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 6, 2016. The tour was ...
in May 2016; first-leg tour dates in the United States and Canada were announced on October 5. On October 7, snippets of the eleven songs from the standard edition of ''Revival'' were made available for preview. On September 25, 2015, Gomez made her live debut of " Good for You" on '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'', where she also gave an interview. On the same day, she performed an acoustic version of the song, along with a cover of
Magic! Magic! (stylized in all uppercase) is a Canadian reggae fusion band from Toronto. Based in Los Angeles, the band comprises lead vocalist, guitarist/producer Nasri Atweh, guitarist/keyboardist Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and bassist Ben Spivak. Ac ...
's "
Rude Rudeness (also called effrontery) is a display of actual or perceived disrespect by not complying with the social norms or etiquette expected within a relationship, social group, or culture. Social norms are established as the essential guidel ...
" on
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's
Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...
. Three days later, she performed the song on '' Le Grand Journal''. On October 12, 2015, she went to ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' and performed "Good for You", "Same Old Love" and a medley of previous hit "Come & Get It" with " Me & the Rhythm". "
Same Old Love "Same Old Love" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez, who included it on and released it from her second studio album '' Revival'' (2015). The song was written by Charli XCX, Ross Golan, and its producers Stargate and Benny Blanc ...
" was also performed on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
'',
2015 American Music Awards The 43rd Annual American Music Awards was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on November 22, 2015. It was broadcast on ABC and hosted by Jennifer Lopez. With three awards, Taylor Swift was the big winner of the night. Jared ...
, and at the 2015
Billboard Women in Music ''Billboard'' Women in Music is an annual event held by ''Billboard''. Its main award is titled Woman of the Year, established to recognize women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business and who, through their ...
. During the 2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, she performed "
Hands to Myself "Hands to Myself" is a song recorded by American singer Selena Gomez for her second studio album, ''Revival (Selena Gomez album), Revival'' (2015). It was released on January 20, 2016, as the record's third single (music), single by Interscope ...
" and "Me & My Girls". Gomez also made a set during the Jingle Ball Tour 2015, where she performed "Same Old Love", "Good for You", "
Love You Like a Love Song "Love You Like a Love Song" is a song by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene recorded for their third studio album '' When the Sun Goes Down'' (2011). It was released as the second single from the album internationally. The song was released ...
," "Hands to Myself" and, for the first time, "Kill Em with Kindness". Gomez was the musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' for the episode dated January 23, 2016, where she performed a medley of "Good for You" and "Same Old Love", as well as the full television debut of "Hands to Myself".


Critical reception

''Revival'' received positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 74, based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Writing for ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', Brittany Spanos stated that "''Revival'' is an audacious name for a 23-year-old singer's second album, but from start to finish, Gomez earns it," noting that " is is the sound of a newly empowered pop artist growing into her strengths like never before." Sal Cinquemani of ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' was very receptive, noting that " ng for song, 'Revival' rivals
Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
's '
Emotion Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...
' for breakout pop album of the year, but if it similarly falls short of greatness, it's due in large part to a lack of originality. ..And yet, all of those songs are standouts." James Reed from ''
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' opined that ''Revival'' is "a forthright album of pop songs that make it clear she is ready to be honest and even vulnerable in her music." Mike Wass of
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...
agreed, calling it "an immaculately curated collection that showcases the 23-year-old's ability to genre-hop and experiment, while staying true to herself." Steve Knopper from ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' applauded Gomez for sounding "appealingly desperate and hungry, and this quality transcends the most familiar-sounding material," adding: "Something in Selena Gomez's pop formula is nicely soft-spoken and mysterious." Mikael Wood from the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' praised the album for being "surprisingly modest, from its midtempo pacing to its thoughtful introspection," acknowledging the fact that "Gomez is finding freedom in control,
kudos Kudos may refer to: * ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games * Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company * Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers in '' The Alge ...
to her for getting there so quickly." Writing for ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', Elysa Gardner noted that the album "is generally at its best when Gomez keeps her tone light and bright and her energy positive. ..At this rate, Gomez is bound to get at least a few skeptics off of Instagram and onto the dance floor." Tim Stack wrote for ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' that " her fifth album Gomez goes for mood-setting, and the result is "a gripping batch of sultry pop jams that are more ' Netflix and chill,' less 'Let's hit the curb,'" claiming that it is "as fresh and forward-thinking as the music of indie darlings
Tove Lo Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take on pop music. Referring to her autobiographical lyrics, ''Out (magazine), O ...
and
FKA twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 16 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. She was a backup dancer for numerous musicians, and made her musica ...
." Christina Jaleru of ''
The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American Conservatism, conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It covers general interest topics with an emphasis on Politics of the United States, national politics. Its broadsheet daily edit ...
'' was positive, commending it for "breez ngthrough to the finish line – the dance floor -with 11 nearly impeccable tracks that skip from the 1960s to the ‘80s to right this minute." While seeing some "genericism" on the album,
Jia Tolentino Jia Angeli Carla Tolentino (born 1988) is an American writer and editor. A staff writer for ''The New Yorker,'' she previously worked as deputy editor of ''Jezebel'' and a contributing editor at '' The Hairpin''. Her writing has also appeared in ...
of ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' highlighted that " its high points, 'Revival' is marked by this lush, sphinx-like readiness: as if, after a decade and a half of being nonstop front and center, Gomez has finally figured out what it means to center herself." Katherine St. Asaph of ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' emphasized that " ere she falters most is what 'Revival' is ostensibly about: bratty confidence," noticing that " sically, though, Revival is most interesting when it's still in the cocoon." Tim Sendra from
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, however, gave the album a mixed review, writing that " 'Revival''makes for a solid pop album overall, but it's a little too formulaic and predictable to rate among her best work." Emily Mackay of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' also gave a mixed review, perceiving that " e most surprising thing about ''Revival'' is its understatement, despite the hit-making co-writers."


Year-end lists

''Revival'' was featured on several year-end list of best albums. It was listed at number 43 on ''Rolling Stone'''s "50 Best Albums of 2015" list, with the editors commenting "If Gomez started the year as one of many bright young celebrity faces, she ended it as a pop star who demands to be taken seriously."


Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Revival'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, earning 117,000
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s in its first week, of which 86,000 were pure album sales. It also gave her highest first-week sales as of October 2015, surpassing her previous album. In its second week on the chart, ''Revival'' fell to number seven. As of January 2020, the album has sold over 435,000 copies in the US. The album was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), for combined album sales, on-demand audio, video streams and track-sales equivalent of one million units. The album entered the
New Zealand Albums Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Mu ...
at number two, giving Gomez her second solo top ten album and highest-charting release. In Australia, the album debuted at number three, becoming her highest album on the chart and second to debut inside the top-ten. In Greece, the album debuted at number one, while in Brazil it reached number three, receiving a platinum certification in the latter for selling over 40,000 copies. The album also reached the top-ten in other 17 countries, including Canada, France, Ireland, Netherlands, and Sweden.


Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's
liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...


Notes

* signifies a producer and vocal producer * signifies an additional producer * signifies a vocal producer * signifies an executive producer * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional vocal producer *
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
is only credited as a writer by ASCAP and BMI, not on physical editions of the album. * "Me & My Girls" samples "Hot Tent Blues" by Late of the Pier


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes *
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
– lead vocals (all tracks) *
Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...
– production (tracks 1, 2, 10–12, 15), mixing (tracks 1, 10–12, 15), percussion (tracks 1, 10, 12, 15),
programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...
(tracks 2, 15),
instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...
(track 2), background vocals (tracks 10–12, 15), guitar (tracks 10, 12, 15), keyboards (tracks 11, 15) * Mattman & Robin – production, vocal production, programming,
recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...
, bass, drums, percussion &
synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...
(tracks 3, 8), guitar & piano (track 3),
tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...
(track 8) * Steve Hammons –
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
& mix engineering (tracks 1, 10–12, 15), percussion (tracks 10, 12, 15), recording (track 2), guitar (track 10), programming (track 15) * Rob Ellmore – engineering (tracks 4–7, 9, 14, 16), recording (tracks 4, 6, 16), tracking (track 16) * Hit Boy – production & programming (tracks 1, 10, 11), percussion (track 10) * Nigel Lundemo – programming (tracks 1, 11, 15), engineering (tracks 11, 15), percussion (track 11), keyboards (track 15) * Adam Comstock – engineering (tracks 1, 10–12, 15), recording (track 2), guitar (track 15) * Juan Carlos Torrado – recording assistance (tracks 3, 6, 8, 13), engineering assistance (tracks 6, 13), tracking assistance (track 8) *
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...
– production, programming & instrumentation (tracks 2, 4) *
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
– production (tracks 4, 5, 16), programming & instrumentation (track 4), vocal production (track 16) * Dreamlab – vocal production (tracks 5–7, 9, 14, 16) *
Leah Haywood Leah Jacqueline Cooney, known professionally as Haywood (formerly Leah Haywood), is an Australian record producer, songwriter and singer. Born in New Zealand, she grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and recorded a top-40 album, ''Leah'', re ...
– background vocals (tracks 5–7, 9, 16) *
Tony Maserati Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen ...
– mixing (tracks 6, 7, 9, 13, 14) * Tyler Scott – mixing assistance (tracks 6, 7, 9, 13, 14) *
Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
AllMusic
known professional ...
– programming, vocal production, percussion & synths (track 3) *
Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...
– background vocals (tracks 3, 8, 13), vocal production (track 13) * Hector Delgado – co-production, vocal production, mixing & recording (track 6) *
Nick Monson Nicholas Paul Monson is a producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles, California. Career Monson is known for his collaborations with Lady Gaga, beginning with ''Artpop,'' in which he co-produced 9 songs'','' including the ...
– production (tracks 6, 13), programming & instrumentation (track 13) *
Christopher Braide Christopher Braide is an English songwriter, record producer and singer, based in Malibu, Los Angeles. First signed as a solo artist by David A. Stewart in the UK and Craig Kallman at Atlantic Records in the US, Braide relocated to Los Ange ...
– production, programming, instrumentation &
grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
(track 7) * Miles Walker – engineering, recording, vocal production & tracking (track 16) * Dubkiller – programming (tracks 1, 15), additional production (track 1) * Danny Parra – engineering (tracks 1, 10), percussion (track 10) *
Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...
– mixing (tracks 2, 3, 8) * John Hanes – mix engineering (tracks 2, 3, 8) * Benjamin Rice – engineering, recording & additional vocal production (track 13) *
Felix Snow Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
– production, programming & instrumentation (track 14) * Hazebanga – programming (tracks 1, 10) * Zvi Edelman – production coordination (tracks 2, 4) * Seif Hussain – production coordination (tracks 2, 4) * Andrew Luftman – production coordination (tracks 2, 4) * Astrid Taylor – production coordination (tracks 2, 4) * Chris Sclafani – engineering & recording (track 4) * Simon French – engineering assistance & recording assistance (track 4) * Blake Mares – engineering assistance & recording assistance (track 4) * Tim Blacksmith – executive production (tracks 4, 5) * Danny D – executive production (tracks 4, 5) * Mikkel Eriksen – recording &
instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...
(track 5) *
Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American audio engineer and mixer. He is a three time Grammy Award recipient, having received 14 nominations for the award. Early life and education Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in ...
– mixing (tracks 5, 16) * Daniela Rivera – additional mix engineering assistance (tracks 5, 16) *
A$AP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop collective ASAP Mo ...
– vocals & co-production (track 6) * J.B. Saboia – mixing assistance & recording assistance (track 6) *
Steve Mac Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern Briti ...
– production & keyboards (track 9) * Chris Laws – engineering & drums (track 9) * Shane Stevens – vocal production & background vocals (track 13) *
Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac (born September 11, 1965) is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). He is a touring member of New Jersey rock band My Chemical Romance. ...
– keyboards (track 1) * R3drum – additional production (track 2) * Phil Seaford – mix engineering assistance (track 2) *
Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran, ...
– mixing (track 4) * Matty Green – mixing assistance (track 4) * Geoff Swan – mixing assistance (track 4) * Mike Anderson – recording (track 5) * Tor Hermansen – instruments (track 5) * Nolan Lambroza – production (track 6) * Will Sandalls – engineering (track 7) *
Ross Golan Ross Jacob Golan (born April 8, 1980) is an American songwriter, record producer and playwright. Life and career Early career Golan graduated from Deerfield High School (Illinois) of Deerfield, Illinois in 1998. He studied music at the Universi ...
– background vocals (track 9) * Dan Pursey – engineering assistance (track 9) * Brandon "Casanova" Hodge – guitar (track 10) * João Pedro Mourão – guitar (track 10) * Jimmy Messer – guitar (track 12) *
Tim Pierce Tim Pierce (born 1958 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and th ...
– guitar (track 12) *
Rami Jaffee Rami Jaffee (born March 11, 1969) is an American musician. He is the keyboardist for the rock band Foo Fighters, whom he initially joined in a touring and session capacity in 2005. He has contributed to seven of the band's studio albums, and for ...
– keyboards (track 12) * Serafin Aguilar – trumpet (track 12) * David Urquidi – saxophone (track 12) *
Frank Dukes Adam King Feeney (born September 12, 1983), better known as Ging and by his former stage name Frank Dukes, is a Canadian musician, record producer, and songwriter. A prolific producer, he has worked with artists including Lorde for ''Melodrama'' ...
– additional production (track 15) * Donkey Boy – production (track 16) ; Credits *
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
– executive production * Aaron Bay-Schuck – Interscope A&R direction * Lexi Opper – Interscope A&R coordination * Marta Navas – Interscope A&R administration * Matt LaMotte – Interscope marketing * Gary Kelly – Interscope sales * Chris Mortimer – Interscope digital marketing * Hillary Siskind – Interscope publicity * Michelle An – Interscope video * Stephanie Hsu – Interscope creative * Tracy Kies – Interscope business affairs * Brian Roettinger – art direction & design * Ryan Butler – graphic design * Taylor Giali – art direction assistance & design assistance * Renata Raksha – photography *
Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey. Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR, Dua Lipa, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, ...
mastering * Aleen Keshishian – management * Zack Morgenroth – management * Sara Newkirk Simon – agent * John Marx – agent * British Reece – publicist * Ziffren Brittenham – legal


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Notes


References

{{Authority control 2015 albums Selena Gomez albums Albums produced by Rock Mafia Albums produced by Stargate Albums produced by Steve Mac Albums produced by Mattman & Robin Albums produced by Benny Blanco Albums produced by Hit-Boy Albums produced by Dreamlab Albums produced by Frank Dukes Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios Interscope Records albums