Melanie Hamm - Ultimate Superstars: Selena Gomez

First published in the UK in 2019 by Studio Press Books,
an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, London, SW10 0SZ
www.studiopressbooks.co.uk
www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

2019 Studio Press

Written by Melanie Hamm

Cover illustration by Keith Robinson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Paperback: 978-1-78741-521-8

All names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Studio Press. Use of these names does not imply any cooperation or endorsement.

For Tim

Im telling you to trust yourselves always.

Selena Gomez crossed the stage to touch the hands of her fans in the front row. As she did, hundreds of hands reached up to grab hers. Tucked under her right arm was a piece of paper, her speech. But she didnt use it. She didnt need to. Selena knew exactly what she wanted to say to her audience at WE Day, California.

She told them that she had always dreamed of being an actress, but how, aged eleven, a casting director had told her she wasnt good enough.

Im sure all of you have been told that youre not good enough. It crushes you. And it almost did for me...

It hardly seemed possible. Selena Gomez the singing star and actor, with over 100 million followers on social media not good enough? Surely everyone had always told her how amazing she was?

But there was my mom, next to me, explained Selena, and she said that the most important thing was to always trust in myself. She told me to keep going. If I didnt believe I could do it, I wouldnt be here.

The fans were silent as the charismatic young woman onstage told them about her mother how she had believed in her and worked four jobs, sacrificing everything for Selenas success. It was inspiring to hear Selenas story, to know that she had struggled.

I live a very blessed life, Selena told her fans. I have so much to be thankful for, and you are such a big part of inspiring me. You inspire me to be better. We should all inspire each other to be better.

The WE Day audience erupted into cheers. This was why they were here: these thousands of teens wanted to make the world a better place. WE Day was a global movement, all about taking action. It wasnt just grown-ups who could change the world! The kids in the audience had amazing ideas for making their communities, their cities, and even the world, better places. Seeing Selena onstage and hearing her powerful message had given them the strength to believe in themselves and what they could achieve.

Selena went on to explain about the pressure of fame: being told to look a certain way, behave a certain way... Im sure you can all relate. You all have pressure that you have to deal with every day.

Selena paused. Her expression was serious.

Until recently, I had given in to that pressure. I lost sight of who I was. I tried to change who I am because I thought that others would accept me for it.

Now her voice cracked. Looking out at the sea of faces in front of her, Selena was on the verge of tears.

And I realised that I dont know how to be anything but myself...

Fans were hugging each other, crying, holding the hands of the friends next to them. Be yourself. Dont let anybody change you. It was the message they wanted to hear. Their heroine was speaking to them like a friend, sharing her doubts and her anxieties.

Please just be kind to each other, Selena continued. Please stay true to yourself. Please just remain who you are and know that we have each others backs. Ive learned from my mistakes. I want you to know that I know what its like. You are who you surround yourself with. I hope I can inspire you to trust yourself to love and to be loved.

Lets change the game, Selena said. This is such a beautiful thing that youre doing. Be proud of yourselves.

When Mandy Cornett realised she was pregnant, she was only fifteen.

Teen pregnancy wasnt unusual in Grand Prairie but Mandy was dismayed. She had ambition. She wanted to be an actor when she left school. Having a baby in her teens? This was not the future she had imagined for herself.

Mandy put on a brave face, but really she wished she could run away. She had never been popular at school. The other kids bullied her for her purple hair and her combat boots. She didnt like the same music or films or fashion as them. Mandy had always been different. And now there was another, big reason to pick on her...

Of course, everyone guessed instantly who the father of Mandys baby was: Ricardo Gomez, or Ricky as everyone called him.

Ricky was sixteen, a year older than Mandy. Would they stay together? Would they get married? Everyone around the couple had questions. It felt like a soap opera but not one Mandy and Ricky wanted to be in.

So they went to their parents for advice. Both Mandys and Rickys parents were happily married. They gave the only answer they could. Mandy and Ricky must do what their hearts told them to.

Eventually the teenagers came to a decision: they would get married. Once their baby was born, they would go back to high school to get the qualifications they needed to find jobs. They knew it wouldnt be easy, but they loved each other.

Feeling nervous, scared and excited, Mandy and Ricky waited as the months went by and their new life got closer and closer.

Finally, on 22 July, 1992, Selena Marie Gomez was born.

Baby Selena was the most beautiful thing her parents had ever seen. Her fathers family was Mexican and she had inherited their dark hair and long lashes. She had her mothers deep, brown eyes.

When she picked up her tiny child, Mandys heart felt like it was going to explode. Lying in a hospital bed, with her own parents sitting beside her, she didnt know whether to laugh or cry; she felt like a child and an adult both at once. But every time she held her newborn baby in her arms, all the confusion was swept away by a flood of love.

Lots of couples argue about baby names, but Mandy and Ricky agreed easily... twice. Priscilla had been their first choice, but Selenas cousin Priscilla had been born just six months earlier. Instead they named their child after Selena Quintanilla, one of their favourite singers, who had also been born in Texas.

At the time of Selenas birth, Mandy was sixteen and Ricky seventeen. It was agreed that Rickys parents, Ricardo and Mary, and Mandys parents, Debbie and David, would look after the baby while the teenagers went back to school.

So, from eight thirty in the morning till four in the afternoon, the new parents pretended to be normal teenagers again. The responsibility of having a baby had changed them, though Mandy especially. She had never tried very hard in school. She hadnt seen the point of studying. Now, however, she started working...