Selena Gomez may play an amateur detective on TV, but her fans are the real sleuths when it comes to dissecting her latest record, “Single Soon.”
When the pre-breakup anthem debuted last week, Selenators across the internet made quick work of hunting for Easter eggs and formulating theories based on the song’s carefree lyrics and music video.
At least one of those hypotheses has since been debunked, but there are still plenty of clues to unpack throughout the catchy tune about preparing to end a relationship and looking forward to being partner-free.
“Thank you guys for all the love on Single Soon!!!” Gomez wrote Friday on Instagram.
“It’s a playful anthem about being comfortable in your own skin and loving your own company… and it’s also really fun to dance to!”
While we (im)patiently await the release of Gomez’s third studio album, here’s a sampling of all the “Single Soon” Easter eggs and fan theories making the rounds on social media.
A little cameo from her little sis
Selena Gomez, left, and sister Gracie Teefey attend the 2023 Golden Globe Awards.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press)
The very beginning of the track features an adorable recording of Gomez’s 10-year-old sister, Gracie Teefey, saying, “Hi! Love you, Sissy. Never worry about boyfriends — at all.”
So young, yet so wise.
That soccer video wasn’t posted just for kicks
Remember that TikTok video Gomez posted of herself shouting “I’m single” at a bunch of soccer players during a night game at a park in early June?
As several TikTok users have pointed out, that same video is playing on the TV in the beginning of the “Single Soon” video as Gomez is preparing to leave her soon-to-be ex’s house.
A number of people have also realized in hindsight that Gomez teases some of the lyrics to “Single Soon” in the TikTok video while trying to get the soccer players’ attention.
“I’m just a little high maintenance!” she shouts in the clip. “But I’ll love you soooo much.”
In the second verse of the song, Gomez sings, “I know I’m a little high / Maintenance, but I’m worth a try.”
Coincidence? We think not.
It’s ‘weekend’ with three Es!
Selena Gomez and Abel “The Weekend” Tesfaye attend the 2017 Met Gala.
(Charles Sykes / Invision / Associated Press)
Don’t get it twisted — “Single Soon” is not about Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, who dated Gomez for about 10 months in 2017.
Fans began to speculate that Gomez makes a reference to the “Save Your Tears” hitmaker in the first verse of her new single when she sings, “Maybe I’ll just disappear / I don’t wanna see a tear / And the weekend’s almost here.”
Gomez also revealed via Instagram that “Single Soon” was written “a while back” — which could, in theory, mean that any of her past relationships are fair game here.
Shortly after the song came out, however, Gomez shut down the Weeknd rumors by asserting via an Instagram comment that they “couldn’t be more false.”
Gomez is famously a “Bad Liar,” so we’ll take her word for this one.
Carrie Bradshaw, consider this your trigger warning
(Warning: The above video contains expletives.)
Eagle-eyed fans of both Gomez and “Sex and the City” have noticed that the sticky note the musician leaves for her future ex in the “Single Soon” music video is a direct homage to the HBO series.
In the video, Gomez writes “I’m sorry I can’t don’t hate me” on a scrap of yellow paper for her unsuspecting partner to discover. That’s the same message Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) boyfriend Jack Berger (Ron Livingston) uses to dump her via sticky note in the sixth season of “Sex and the City.”
Ouch!
It’s been said and done
If the karaoke scene from the “Single Soon” music video feels familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen Gomez singing karaoke in a music video before.
The video for one of Gomez’s earliest hits, “Love You Like a Love Song” (2011), opens with a karaoke sequence that recurs throughout the tune.
And some fans suspect that the karaoke moment isn’t the only SelGo throwback featured in “Single Soon.” Various scenes from the video have also been interpreted as nods to the music videos for Gomez’s “I Want You to Know” (2015) and “Boyfriend” (2020), as well as her 2012 fragrance commercial.
A ‘rare’ find
A smattering of Selenators have noted that the butterfly necklace Gomez wears throughout the “Single Soon” video resembles the jewelry she wore during the release party for her third studio album, “Rare.”
Butterflies are also prominently featured in the music video for “Rare” (2020).
This story originally appeared on LA Times
