Why Did Selena Gomez’s Voice Change? All the Details About Her Voice That Have Fans Puzzled
Selena Gomez is one of the few in Hollywood to successfully transition from her early days as a popular member of the world of Disney.
Published March 26 2025, 4:41 p.m. ET
Hollywood A-listers have millions of extremely devoted fans who analyze every single aspect of their being, and any changes or inconsistencies propel them to speak out. Such is the case with Selena Gomez, whose different tone of voice had her fans brimming with questions.
Selena is one of the few in Hollywood to successfully transition from her early days as a popular member of the world of Disney to excelling in adult roles in television and film, such as Emmy-winner Only Murders in the Building and the Academy Award-winning Emilia Pérez.
Why did Selena Gomez’s voice change?
Long-time fans of Selena are well aware of her health struggles, most notably with lupus and kidney disease. However, despite knowing that health issues can change various aspects of a person’s life, they still question why her voice is so different than it was in her youth.
Following the success of season one of Only Murders in the Building, fans began voicing their concern about the difference in Selena’s vocal tone, which has persisted as recently as the 2025 Academy Awards.
However, in addition to not being the young girl she was during her Wizards of Waverly Place days, Selena’s health issues are also likely contributors to the change in her voice. Per a 2017 study published in PLOS One, it was discovered via research that those with lupus had "significantly lower vocal intensity and harmonics to noise ratio, as well as increased jitter and shimmer" when speaking.
What has Selena said about her health issues?
In 2017, Selena revealed that due to complications from her lupus diagnosis, she needed a kidney transplant. It was then that her friend and fellow actor Francia Raísa stepped in to donate her a kidney.
“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much, sis,” she said at the time, per PEOPLE.
In a 2021 interview with ELLE, Selena shared the details of her mental and physical health struggles: "My lupus, my kidney transplant, chemotherapy, having a mental illness, going through very public heartbreaks — these were all things that honestly should have taken me down." She went on to describe the mindset that helped her: "[Thinking], ‘You’re going to help people.’ That’s really what kept me going."
What’s life like for Selena now?
In September 2024, Selena was officially declared a billionaire, with a net worth of $1.3 billion due to her highly successful Rare Beauty Brand, according to Bloomberg.
She starred in the 2024 hit film Emilia Pérez, for which she received a 2025 Golden Globe nomination and BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and she won a SAG Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for OMITB.
In December 2024, Selena announced that she and boyfriend Benny Blanco were officially engaged after dating for a little over a year, per PEOPLE.