Selena Gomez revealed that she actually wanted Benny Blanco to take more control while they worked together on their 2025 album I Said I Love You First.
The singer said Blanco never tried to dominate the creative process despite having more experience as a producer. Instead, he encouraged Gomez to make her own decisions in the studio.
Selena Gomez says she wanted Benny Blanco to take more control while they worked together on their album
Gomez reflected on making the Selena Gomez Benny Blanco album while discussing their relationship and first year of marriage with PEOPLE.
“He happens to be extremely more advanced in that world than I am, and I really appreciate his advice and his guidance, but he never took control of anything,” Gomez said.
She then admitted that she sometimes wished he had taken a stronger lead.
“If anything, I wanted him to and he just said, ‘No, I want your decisions to be your decisions,’ and it was very easy,” she explained.
The collaboration resulted in I Said I Love You First. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording.
Even after enjoying the experience, Gomez said she did not necessarily plan to make every future project with Blanco.
“I don’t think I would make every album with him, but I loved it, and we have a memory now. We’ve done something together,” she said.
The couple first met as teenagers and later worked together professionally before their relationship became romantic in 2023.
Gomez also opened up about their Selena Gomez Benny Blanco marriage, saying they remained in the “honeymoon stage”.
“I love it. It just feels so wonderful to have a partner that actually genuinely listens and just meets you right where you are, whatever that mood or day looks like, and that’s all I could ask for,” she said.
Blanco also reflected on their marriage while guest-hosting Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.
“We are so lucky and fortunate that we’re just each other’s yin and yang,” he said. “Everything is so easy, and she’s my best friend.”
For Gomez, working with Benny Blanco created a shared professional memory while also showing how he approached their creative partnership without taking over.
