My Mind & Me - Personal insights into the life of Selena Gomez

The documentary My Mind & Me gives a deep insight into the last six years in the life of singer and actress Selena Gomez. Although she is one of the most successful pop stars in Hollywood, My Mind & Me shows us that appearances may be deceiving. The 95-minute documentary shows the authentic face hidden behind the artist Selena Gomez.

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Beginnings of acting and music career

Whether you know her as Alex Russo from "The Wizards of Waverly Place," as a singer, or as Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez is an actress, singer, and public figure all at once. Selena Marie Gomez first saw the light of day on July 22, 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas, as the daughter of an Italian-American and a Mexican. Selena discovered her interest in acting at a young age. Her breakthrough as an actress came when she landed the role of the protagonist "Alex Russo" in "The Wizards of Waverly Place". Her music career also began in 2008 with the signing of her first record deal. Gomez's songs have sold over 210 million copies and been streamed more than 45 billion times.

Darkest secrets

The My Mind & Me trailer was released on the occasion of World Mental Health Day to raise awareness and knowledge about mental health worldwide. The documentary has been available to watch on Apple TV+ since November 4, 2022. At the beginning of the film, Selena promises viewers that she will only reveal her darkest secrets. 

The camera accompanies a young woman who is repeatedly afflicted by extreme exhaustion during appointments with hairdressers, makeup artists and assistants. Director Alek Keshishian shows a famous woman who wants for nothing - but who nevertheless seems to be deathly unhappy. For the first time, Selena speaks openly about her psychological problems, following in the footsteps of other celebrities such as Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish.

Highs and lows

My Mind & Me offers the opportunity to get to know the artist better and learn more about her personal experiences and challenges. Over the past five years, Selena has had to endure numerous challenges. Among them was a kidney transplant, and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She has also had to learn how to deal with lupus disease, which has repeatedly brought her to her knees. Above all, however, the actress and singer found it enormously difficult to return to the public eye after all the hardships she had endured. 

The documentary accompanies Selena on her path of healing and rediscovery. On the one hand, she recalls her Texan roots, while on the other she seeks distance on a trip to Kenya. My Mind & Me offers a personal insight into the life of a celebrity and shows that success is not automatically associated with happiness.

Homeland connection

Act One begins in 2018, as Selena returns to her hometown of Grand Prairie. Together with her cousin Priscilla—with whom she has a very close relationship—she looks back on her childhood and remembers all the silly pranks and crushes back in her school days. During a tour of her former school, she meets an old teacher who is moved to tears when she embraces Selena.

As Selena strolls through the neighborhood, she decides to pay a visit to her former neighbor. When she spies the old dollhouse in the neighbor's house, childhood memories come flooding back to her. Here, for the first time, we see the artist humbled and grateful—qualities that make her seem more like an old friend than a celebrity.

Trip to Kenya

Act two is set in 2019 and features a mature Selena Gomez finding her voice for struggling with bipolar disorder and feeling the desire to share her past experiences to help others. Shortly after, Selena embarks on her Kenya trip with the WE Charity, an organization that provides support to young Kenyan women and is funded by Selena, among others. On this trip, she realizes how much she can learn from people whose circumstances are very different from her own. Selena feels closer to the people than ever at this point and enjoys the carefree time in Kenya to the fullest.

After returning from Africa, Selena is reluctantly drawn into the hustle and bustle of album promotion for "Rare" in London and Paris. 

During the promotion, she is riddled with questions by reporters who seem to have little to no interest in her personality. Questions that bring back memories of her past as a commercial product. After an unpleasant interview with a dismissive reporter, Selena tearfully draws a line in the sand and says she will never do promotion again. In doing so, she puts her own needs before those of others.

My Mind & Me - In the calm lies the power

In act three of My Mind & Me, Selena faces new problems due to the coronavirus pandemic. The artist, who suffers from lupus, is increasingly troubled by the isolation and has to face new health concerns. She also learns that her work for the WE Charity has been jeopardized by an internal organizational scandal. This news shakes her to the core.

Selena, however, won't be brought to her knees a second time. With more confidence, emotional intelligence and support, she returns to Grand Prairie once again. The journey to Texas shows how Selena finds healing in returning to her origins. Act three ends with a list of contrasting truths that highlight both her difficulties and her strengths: "I'm at peace, I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm confident." And we, as viewers, take her word for it.

Are you curious now and do you want to read more exciting stories about the lives of different artists? Then take a look at the mukken Blog. In the Books & Movies section you'll find some great articles about other world-famous musicians like Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift. If you are also a musician, you can exchange ideas with other musicians in our mukken network. Take advantage of this unique opportunity and make new contacts now!