The Real Meaning Behind Selena Gomez's 'De Una Vez' Lyrics Explained

Selena Gomez is stepping into more Spanish music in 2021. The international pop star took to Twitter on Jan. 14, 2021, to tease the release of her second Spanish-language song, and let's just say, fans are excited. 

"De Una Vez Esta noche. Presave ahora," she wrote along with the cover art and a pre-order link. ("Tonight. Presave Now.") The star, who celebrated her 28th birthday in July 2020, also teased her fans with her own retweet from January 2011, which read, "Can't wait for ya'll to hear the Spanish record. it's sounding so cool." She then added, "I think it will be worth the wait." According to Billboard, murals dedicated to the "Wolves" singer, and the new track specifically, began popping up around Mexico the week of the song's release. So it looks like the Grammy winner is really driving home the new direction and revisiting her Mexican roots, as her paternal grandparents were born in Mexico. "I am incredibly proud of my Latin background," she said in a statement about the new tune, per E! News. "It felt empowering to sing in Spanish again."

Well, it was all worth the wait. Keep scrolling after the jump to dig into the lyrics of "De Una Vez," aka "At Once."  

Selena Gomez is empowering anyone who's rediscovering who they are after a breakup. The music video for her new song, "De Una Vez," opens with her lying on a pink silk bed, clad in a beautiful flower dress with a large, glowing heart-shaped pendant on the bust. It's possibly a nod to a person who "wears their heart on their sleeve."

The song's opening describes the healing process after separating from a lover. Gomez sings, "It doesn't hurt like before, no / The wound of your love healed." The chorus echoes a sentiment of moving on and being stronger after the devastation from another. "Once and for all / I'm stronger alone, (I am stronger alone) / It is that I do not regret the past," the pop star sings. "I know that the time by your side cut my wings / But now this chest is bulletproof."

In the two-minute video, Gomez walks through a small home filled with a past. Toward the end of the video, the home's material possessions are pulled away through the ceiling, leaving an empty casing. In her final lyrics, Gomez sings, "I don't feel you here anymore / I don't feel you anymore / You never knew / You didn't know how to value me" as she walks out of the house and the words, "Baila Conmigo," which translates to "Dance With Me." If this is any indication of what's to come from the star, fans can look forward to this new direction.