Did Selena Gomez’s ‘Bad Liar’ End Up Being the Career Turning Point We Thought It Might Be?

Back in 2017, Selena Gomez was coming off her greatest commercial hot streak, having just released 2015’s Billboard 200-topping Revival — which scored a trio of smash pop singles — and keeping her momentum going with a run of successful collabs. Then, she released “Bad Liar,” the most sophisticated, ambitious and generally surprising single of her career to that point, co-written alongside a pair of hitmakers with whom she had an obvious connection. The song was rapturously received by pop fans and critics alike, but the commercial response to it was distinctly muted — seemingly leaving Gomez unsure of what to do next.

On this week’s Great Moments in Pop Star History episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard‘s executive director of music, Jason Lipshutz, to talk about one of the most fascinating pop songs of the last decade. We look at why the song worked in so many unlikely ways, why it won over so many listeners who’d previously disregarded Gomez but still couldn’t find its footing at radio or streaming — and whether or not the song, which felt like a major turning point in Selena Gomez’s career upon its release, actually ended up being such a pivotal release for her.

Along the way, of course, we ask all the important questions about Selena Gomez and “Bad Liar”: Why was lifting the bassline from a 1977 Talking Heads song the key to this 2017 pop single? What made Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter such perfect collaborators for Gomez at this point in her career? Why does she love playing multiple characters in the same project so much? Was there really nothing subtle about the Battle of Troy? Can we hear any of “Bad Liar” in Gomez’s new I Said I Love You First album, recorded with longtime producer (and now-fiancé) Benny Blanco? And perhaps most importantly: Would we still name “Bad Liar” the best song of 2017?

Check out our discussion above, and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!

And if you have the time and money to spare, please consider donating to any of these causes in the fight for trans rights. (Selena would want you to!)

Transgender Law Center

Trans Lifeline

Gender-Affirming Care Fundraising on GoFundMe

Also, please consider subscribing to the trans legislation journalism of Erin Reed, and giving your local congresspeople a call in support of trans rights, with contact information you can find on 5Calls.org.