Selena Gomez has a new album on the horizon and ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber in the past. Ahead of the release of Revival, the "Good for You" singer appears on the cover of Elle magazine's October 2015 issue and she opened up about coming back with new music and the exact moment she got over her "What Do You Mean?" ex. And, hint, it all comes down to that emotionally raw American Music Awards performance of "The Heart Wants What It Wants."

The 22-year-old pop star opened up to Elle about the status of her relationship with Bieber, saying that the two are friends and can hang out with other mutual acquantences and that she'll always love him "in a way," but she's still over that part of her life.

After years of an on-again, off-again status, Gomez finally turned the switch permanently off at the 2014 AMAs, where she gave a stunning performance of "The Heart Wants What It Wants." Before taking the stage and bursting in to tears, she cleared out her dressing room and took a moment to herself and finally washed her hands of Bieber.

"Everybody was talking about the same thing: my relationship," she said. "I was so exhausted. I said, 'I want this [performance] to be the last time I have to talk about this. And acknowledge this feeling.'"

Gomez poured that emotion in to her performance and music.

"I was kind of devastated. I was like, 'This is all I have right now. This is going to be it. And all I want is to move on.,'" she said. "It was a huge weight lifted off me. That's why, from this point on, I know I can prove myself, you know. I haven't scratched the surface yet."

Revival will be released on Oct. 9.

Join the Discussion