On January 10, 2020, Selena Gomez released her 3^rd solo album Rare. Almost 5 years since her last album Revival and going though many life changing experiences such as being diagnosed with lupus, undergoing a kidney transplant and breaking up with her highly publicized relationships with Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, she has returned with a body of work that reflects on her growth and struggles over these past years. Selena Gomez has been making music since she was 16 on Disney Channel, and releasing 3 studio albums under the name “Selena Gomez & The Scene” as she was accompanied by a band before becoming solo. With the release of Revival, we saw a more mature side of her music that was able to connect with audiences outside of her once children demographic. Rare is an even more mature record that proves Selena’s power in the industry and her talents as an artist.

            Rare is 13 track body of work that experiments with different genres and production styles that helps further solidify Selena’s credibility as a musical artist. The lead single “Lose You to Love Me” represents Selena’s battle with overcoming a toxic relationship she endured, and the struggles of finding the courage to be able to leave for her own mental health was a great start to the album’s buildup. The song debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and showed the world an incredibly vulnerable side to Selena through a piano led ballad that was something she hasn’t really done before. However, with tracks such as “Rare”, “Dance Again”, and “Look at Her Now,” we see a more confident side to Selena in an upbeat dance-pop style that shows her fans that she is stronger and happier than ever before. Critics and fans alike gave the album generally favorable views, with the album having a score of 76/100 with 12 critic reviews and a score of 8.7/10 out of nearly 8000 fan reviews on Metacritic. According to Variety, “It’s hard to think of a more dramatic example of how far Gomez has come musically in nearly five years: Rare is one of the best pop albums to be released in recent memory.” I completely agree with that statement for a multitude of reasons. One being that Rare is Selena’s most mature album to date with lyrical and production content that appeals more so to adult audiences. Another being that the songs on the album showcase Selena’s true vocal and lyrical ability in different genres and styles while staying true to her distinct sound and artistry.

            Though Rare consists of mostly great tracks, just like with any body of work there will always be a stumble here or there. When asking my sister Nakisa on her opinion regarding the album, she states “I am not the biggest fan of Selena Gomez and her music was never really my cup of tea. Though I have to say this was probably my favorite album of hers, there were definitely some tracks that I could not fully listen to because they were simply not good in my opinion.” She pointed out the songs such as “Let Me Get Me” and “Fun” as being some of the album tracks she did not enjoy, and I unfortunately have to agree with her. Despite these two songs experimenting with a sound that we haven’t seen Selena tackle before, they are the weakest links to the album due to the awkwardness of the production style and the repetitiveness of the lyrics. In light of a couple of not so perfect song choices, I still strongly believe     Rare is an almost perfect body of work.

            Rare is a cohesive well produced album that shows Selena in a light that we have yet to see her in before. In these past 5 years that Selena was on a hiatus, despite releasing a couple of droplet singles, we see how much she has matured as an artist, but more so as an individual growing up in the spotlight and tackling life challenges that are nearly impossible for anyone to really overcome. Selena proved to critics, fans, and the general public that she is a prominent force to be reckoned with in the music industry and is a true musical artist with an immense talent in vocals, production, and songwriting. At the end of the day, I think the vast majority of listeners can all agree that Rare is a truly a rare body of work.