Selena Gomez: Can The Comeback Kid Do It Again?

Internet, meet your new queen – Selena Gomez. With 100 million followers, the singer-actress beat the Kardashians to be the most-followed person on Instagram. She may look like the unassuming girl next door, but as Nicki Minaj rapped in “Beauty and a Beat”, we gotta keep an eye out for Selena.

- Sophie Hong

Just last year, it was revealed that Selena Gomez was diagnosed with lupus – a painful autoimmune disease where your body’s immune system attacks healthy tissues. That caused her to cancel the Asian and Australian leg of a tour in 2013 and check into a rehabilitation facility to undergo chemotherapy. At the time, there were speculations that she had checked into rehab for substance abuse, and rumours about her supposed struggles were rife.

Fans witnessed Selena deal with it all with grace, and she made a strong comeback with the Revival Tour, which included a stop on our sunny shores back in July this year. However, just last month, she announced that she would be taking a break in her career to deal with the side effects of the disease, which included depression, anxiety and panic attacks. She told People, “I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off.” So by the time you’re reading this, the 24-year-old starlet would still probably be on her break.

Once more, rumours are flying, but Selena seems willing to cop it for a greater purpose.

In that same People interview, she stated: “Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head-on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues.”

Despite everything, or perhaps because of it, Selena continues to shine. She’s just got her third top 10 single of the year, and she’s probably still the most-followed person on Instagram, with close to 100 million followers and averaging over two million “likes” for each picture she posts. As of press time, she still holds the record for the most-liked Instagram photo ever.