Sophia Michaels
As two of the biggest pop stars in the world, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande have a lot of fans. However, that doesn’t mean that their relationship with them is the same. Here’s why some of Gomez’s fans feel that she should be more like Grande.
Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande have both been making music for years
Gomez began her career on TV years before Grande began her run on Nickelodeon with Victorious. And she put out her first album with her Disney band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, in 2009. However, both released their debut solo albums, Gomez’s Stars Dance and Grande’s Yours Truly, in 2013.
In the years since, both have continued to act, though are thought of more for their music. And both have very dedicated fandoms — Selenators for Gomez and Arianators of Grande — who follow them on social media. At one point, Gomez was the most-followed woman on Instagram, only to be surpassed by Grande in February 2019, according to Billboard.
Gomez had a rough few years
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Despite being pop stars, life hasn’t been perfect for either Gomez or Grande. Gomez has been had multiple surgeries due to her lupus and was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Prior to that, in 2016, she canceled her tour and went to rehab to focus on her mental health.
At her first red carpet appearance post-rehab, Grande was there to greet her. “I just saw her come in and I hugged her so tight,” the artist told Entertainment Tonight. “She looks like a princess. I literally almost cried when I saw her. I haven’t talked to her in a long time, so I don’t know what’s going on. I’m so happy that she’s here and she’s out and about.”
Grande is very communicative with her Arianators
It wasn’t long after that that Grande began to experience her own hardships. First, there was the bombing at her May 2017 concert in Manchester. This was followed by her breakup with rapper Mac Miller, tumultuous relationship with Pete Davidson, and then Miller’s death in September 2018.
Throughout all of this, Grande has remained in touch with her followers. “I’ve been open in my art and open in my DMs and my conversations with my fans directly, and I want to be there for them, so I share things that I think they’ll find comfort in knowing that I go through as well,” she said in her August 2019 cover story for Vogue.
Fans think Grande is more appreciative
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Gomez eventually returned to social media. She didn’t use it too much in 2018, but became a bit more active in 2019, leading up to the release of her album Rare. But for some fans, the lack of direct communication with the pop star just wasn’t on par with what Grande does.
A Twitter fan account of both artists, @skinnysel, wrote on March 21, “Someone explain to me how can Selena spend 24 hours in her house, but not take her phone for once to say hi to us. I don’t remember the last time she genuinely interacted with us, and not for promo… I’m getting tired of this.” In a reply, they added, “she should take notes from Ariana,” seemingly referring to Grande.
Gomez on speaking to Selenators
In the weeks since that tweet, Gomez has done a couple of Instagram Live sessions. But even she admits that she isn’t as “one-on-one” as used to be. “It makes me kind of bummed because I do wanna have communication with my fans,” she said in an interview with Genius.
“I find that lately it’s just become really heavy,” she continued. “I think people expect a lot more of me and want me to do more, but the truth is I have to take care of myself and take care of my mind, the things that I’m reading and listening to.” Perhaps the lesson is that every artist has to have a different kind of relationship with their fans.
Written by: CheatSheet
