Selena Gomez confirmed that Taylor Swift’s song “Dorothea” was written about her.
During an appearance on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast with her husband Benny Blanco, Gomez addressed long-running fan speculation surrounding the Evermore track. According to Gomez, Swift directly told her the song was inspired by their friendship.
“Well, ‘Dorothea’ is about me,” Gomez said.
The Rare Beauty founder also revealed that Swift wrote another song about the two of them that has never been released. The track, titled “Family,” reflects on the dreams both artists had when they were younger.
“It was basically saying, ‘You have these amazing dreams. You want to be in movies. In every crowd I still see you,’” Gomez explained. “And then her part was, ‘You believe in my stupid dreams, like playing stadiums.’”
Looking back now, Gomez said it is surreal hearing those lyrics after both of their careers unfolded the way they did.
“Now when I listen to that song, both of those things have happened for us,” she said. “Back then she was just like, ‘I wrote this song about us. It was our story.’”
“Dorothea” was released in 2020 on Swift’s album Evermore, the follow-up to Folklore. The song reached No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the track, Swift sings about a childhood friend who leaves their hometown and finds fame, referencing someone “selling dreams, selling makeup and magazines.”
Fans have long pointed to similarities between the lyrics and Gomez’s career, including her acting work and the launch of her beauty brand, Rare Beauty.
Gomez also reflected on how long she and Swift have known each other. The two became friends as teenagers, long before either had reached their current level of global fame.
“I was 15 and she was 18,” Gomez said. “We were figuring everything out at the same time. Relationships, family, love, hate. All of it.”
Because of that history, Gomez says Swift’s music often feels personal in ways fans might not fully realize.
Beyond the songwriting, Gomez shared another story about Swift’s creativity. For her 30th birthday, Swift painted a custom artwork featuring their zodiac signs over a lake scene. According to Benny Blanco, he initially thought the painting had been created by a professional artist.
Reflecting on their journey from teenage musicians to global pop figures, Gomez summed it up simply.
“Wow, we survived it. As best we could.”
