"And I Cried Because I Loved The Song So Much": Selena Gomez's Song "Who Says" Almost Went To A Totally Different Singer

    "I basically said to my label, ‘I feel like my fans are young and they need it.’"

    So, you know Selena Gomez.

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    And chances are you definitely know all the lyrics to her 2011 hit song, "Who Says."

    "I wouldn't wanna be anybody else"

    Well, it turns out that Selena wasn't actually the artist attached to the song originally, and Disney almost released it with a totally different person singing it.

    Selena Gomez onstage

    At Twilio’s SIGNAL conference, Selena explained just how she fought Disney to let her release the song — which was her second song to go platinum and currently has over 379 million views on YouTube.

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    “It’s actually a funny story: I was working with Disney at the time, and they were actually giving the song to another artist,” she recalled, not specifying which singer almost got the song. “And I cried — I remember, I was with my mom — because I loved the song so much."

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    "I basically said to my label, ‘I feel like my fans are young and they need it.’ That’s all I kept saying because I was 16 at the time. I was like, ‘I think my fans really need it; tell [them] my fans really need the song.’"

    Selena Gomez onstage singing

    "And so maybe it just didn’t work out with the other artist, but that was a gift to me that I did not know I needed."

    Selena Gomez in a music video

    “And I love, love that song, and it has carried with me through my whole career, and I fought for it. So to be honest, I, to this day, need to hear it."

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    "I’m just saying the message, it will last and last because it’s the truth. It’s such a special song."

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    Even back in 2011 when the song was released, Selena gushed about how much the lyrics meant to her. “It’s probably my favorite I’ve ever recorded,” she said. “I think it’s really meaningful, and it’s kind of a big anthem. It went platinum so it’s my second song ever that’s platinum. I was really excited, I was in the car when I found out promoting the third album. It gave me a big boost.”

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    And like, I literally couldn't picture anyone else singing this song. It was truly meant to be!

    Closeup of Selena Gomez

    So, do yourself a favor and listen to "Who Says" here.