Selena Gomez has confirmed she is dating Benny Blanco and that the pair have been secretly seeing each other for six months.
The singer, actress, and model, who is the most followed woman on Instagram, appeared to confirm that she is in a relationship with the US music producer.
Gomez, 31, shared the news, naturally, on Instagram to her 429 million followers, with a cryptic post on Friday (December 8) that showed her wearing a ring on the third finger of her left hand (the 'wedding finger') with the letter B. She had previously responded “facts” in the comment section of another post that alleged she had a boyfriend, while a third post from the star added, “it’s been six months [with] BB”.
Having released third solo album Rare in 2020, Gomez has since recorded a Spanish-language EP and last year her documentary My Mind and Me was released, charting her battle with lupus and bipolar disorder. She has had high-profile romances with Justin Bieber and The Weeknd –but could she have found the one in Blanco?
Who is Benny Blanco?
Benjamin Levin, as he was born, has been an A-list producer to the stars since the late 2000s, getting his break for a credit on Britney Spears’ 2009 album Circus. The 35-year-old from Virginia was a protégé of Dr Luke and has quickly become a go-to beatmaker for pop and urban artists, with Ed Sheeran, Bieber, Rihanna, and Kanye West among the many to have come calling.
Unusually for a producer, Blanco has moved beyond being a name behind the scenes to having a public persona and started to release his music under his own name in 2018. His song Eastside, with Halsey and Khalid, became a number one single in the UK and helped to set up his successful debut album Friends Keep Secrets. His increasingly revered profile has seen his name added to song titles as a featured artist, such as on Lonely, a collaboration with Bieber. While he has kept his voice off record, Blanco has become a familiar face and unlikely fashionista but has managed to maintain a relatively undocumented personal life… until now.
Blanco is from a Jewish family and has played his background up in the US sitcom Dave – where he plays a fictionalised, eccentric, version of himself. He has also featured as a talking head in documentaries and starred in his own music videos. Another recent string to his bow has been in the business side of music, with Blanco setting up his own imprints within Interscope records: Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets.
Gomez has not previously been romantically linked to Blanco but the pair have been working together on music for years, initially producing songs from her 2015 album Revival – Same Old Love, and Kill ‘Em With Kindness. He did not take on production duties on Rare but returned to the switchboards for standalone single Single Soon, which came out in August.
What has Selena Gomez said about their relationship?
The road to confirmation began on Monday, December 4, when Gomez liked a PopFaction post on Instagram that carried the headline Selena Gomez Seemingly Confirms That She Is in a Relationship. Then, on Thursday, December 7, she commented “facts” below the same article.
Then in an episode of her cookery series, Selena and Chef, she said: “I also have a crush on someone, so I’m kind of really happy.” She followed this up with a picture on Instagram appearing to show her and Blanco as well as an image of a ring with the letter B.
News of the relationship was greeted positively by some, one commenting: “Be happy with whoever you want Selena”. But others said that Blanco was “not worthy” of her with another saying he was a “big downgrade” from Bieber.
Gomez then moved to counter criticism. “I don’t understand,” she wrote. “If you actually care about me. This is my happiest. If you don’t feel free to say whatever you want. But I will never allow your words to guide my life. Ever. I’m done. If you can't accept me at my happiest then don’t be in [my] life at all.”
