Selena Gomez Reveals the Moment She Moved on from Justin Bieber Once and for All in Elle Magazine

Singer opens up about her past relationship

By Kendall Fisher Sep 16, 2015 5:55 PMTags
Selena Gomez, ElleLiz Collins for ELLE

Not only is Selena Gomez's revival (which appropriately happens to be the name of her new album) all about growing into a new, more mature version of herself, but it also peels off the labels of anything she's been associated with in the past—most notably, her relationship with Justin Bieber.

In case there was any confusion over whether or not the 23-year-old has moved on from her ex-boyfriend, she's making a clear stance in the October issue of Elle magazine: she is done with JB, pinpointing the exact moment she had the epiphany.

Image Group LA/ABC

She recalls waiting to go on stage to perform "The Heart Wants What It Wants"—the song she dedicated to Bieber—for the very first time at the American Music Awards last November.

"Everybody was talking about the same thing: my relationship," she remembers. "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.'"

She ended up clearing out her dressing room and taking a moment for herself.

"I was kind of devastated," she admits.  "I was like, 'This is all I have right now. This is gonna be it. And all I want is to move on.'"

A few moments later she took the AMA stage and delivered a raw, emotional performance, tearing up in front of 11.6 million viewers and making everyone realize just how serious of an artist she really is.

"It was a huge weight lifted off me," Gomez says. "That's why, from this point on, I know I can prove myself, you know. I haven't scratched the surface yet."

Liz Collins for ELLE

As for her current relationship with Bieber, SelGo says they're just friends, but her latest song "Same Old Love" seems to allude to the heartbreak of their rocky past.

"It's not necessarily about a specific relationship," she promises. "Sometimes you're stuck in the same cycle. This is kind of my 'forget it' song. I'm sick of all of it."

The two have spent some time together, hanging out with mutual friends and working on being just that.

"Genuinely," she tells the publication, drawing out the word to make her point. "I'll forever support him and love him in a way that...We grew up together. I think people want it to be different. We're too young for that. Nobody was married. There was no...I respect him. And I think he respects me, in a healthy manner."

In fact, Gomez feels so good about being friends that she's begun dating again, though her attention remains on herself.

"Finding somebody is not my main focus," she explains. "I've dated people. I've been on a few dates, which is really exciting. But I've never wanted to get into anything serious, because I kind of did that. I have my guard up. I like to meet people in organic settings. Hanging out with a group of people and meeting through mutual people."

But before all you heartbroken #Jelena fans start crying, know this: when asked if there's a possibility to ever get back together with Bieber again, Gomez didn't deny it.

"I don't know!" she shouted with a laugh.

Never say never!